WHAT YOU WILL DO- Own the aerodynamic design of Heaviside's munition airframes: configuration development, airfoil and planform selection, and performance optimization across launch, cruise, and terminal flight.
- Lead aerodynamic analysis from conceptual sizing through detailed design using low-order methods and CFD, anchored by wind tunnel and flight test data.
- Develop and maintain vehicle performance models - range, endurance, dash speed, and terminal maneuver capability - that drive design trades and customer commitments.
- Generate stability and control derivatives and aerodynamic databases for GNC design, including folding-surface deployment transients and tube-launch separation aerodynamics.
- Lead propulsion-airframe integration for electric and small air-breathing propulsion, including propeller/motor performance matching.
- Plan and execute aerodynamic test campaigns: wind tunnel entries, instrumented flight tests at DoD ranges, and parameter identification.
- Mentor engineers across the vehicle design team and set the technical standard for analysis quality.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR- 10+ years of aerodynamics or flight sciences experience on missiles, munitions, military UAS, or tactical aircraft - with hardware that flew.
- Demonstrated ownership of an air vehicle's aerodynamic design from concept through flight test.
- Expert proficiency in CFD (e.g., STAR-CCM+, Fluent, OpenFOAM) and low-order aero-prediction tools (e.g., Missile DATCOM, AVL), with sound judgment on when each is appropriate.
- Strong foundation in flight mechanics, stability and control, and the generation of aero databases for 6-DOF weapon simulation.
- Experience with wind tunnel test planning, execution, and data reduction.
- Working fluency in performance analysis for small, fast, or long-endurance tactical air vehicles under real employment constraints.
- [BONUS] Experience with high-subsonic/transonic munition aerodynamics or folding/tube-launched configurations.
- [BONUS] Experience correlating CFD and flight test data through parameter identification on defense programs.
- U.S. Person as defined by ITAR (22 CFR A7120.62)
Additional Information:
Compensation bands are determined by role, level, location, and alignment with market data. Individual level and base pay is determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on job-related skills, education, experience, technical capabilities and internal equity. In addition to base salary, for full-time hires, you may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of stock options, and access to medical, vision & dental coverage as well as access to a 401(k) retirement plan.
Heaviside will consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, including arrest or conviction records, consistent with the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. Heaviside intends to review criminal history after a conditional offer. Heaviside reasonably believes criminal history may have a direct, adverse, and negative relationship with the following duties, potentially resulting in withdrawal of the offer: (1) accessing export-controlled technical data and defense articles; (2) handling and maintaining inventory of controlled components, tools, and equipment; and (3) accessing secure facilities, laboratories, and field test sites.
