Aerodynamics & Flight Dynamics Engineer

Aerodynamics & Flight Dynamics Engineer

Location: Croatia or UAE (on‑site)
Employment Type: Full‑time

What Propels Us:

PAiREGRINE is a high‑speed autonomous Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) jet UAV designed to deliver rapid sensing, long‑range performance, and decision advantage in contested environments. The aircraft combines jet propulsion, advanced autonomy, and multi‑sensor payloads into a tightly integrated, mission‑driven platform.

Aerodynamics is not a downstream function here—it defines what the aircraft can be. Your work directly shapes how PAiREGRINE performs, handles, and survives across its full flight envelope.

The Impact You’ll Make

You will own the aircraft’s geometry and flight behavior. From early configuration choices to flight‑test validation, your aerodynamic and flight‑dynamics decisions determine performance, stability, efficiency, and controllability.

You’ll help ensure we converge quickly on the right configuration—killing bad geometry early, refining what works, and delivering an aircraft that flies exactly as intended.

What will you actually do?

• Design and evolve wing, fuselage, inlet, fin, and control surface geometry
• Perform aerodynamic analysis using CFD and reduced‑order tools (e.g., AVL, OpenVSP)
• Define and validate the aircraft performance envelope across operating regimes
• Analyze trim, stability, and control throughout the flight envelope
• Evaluate low‑speed handling qualities, takeoff, landing, and recovery behavior
• Optimize cruise efficiency, fuel burn, and drag characteristics
• Support flight‑test planning, data analysis, and model correlation
• Work closely with structures, propulsion, and systems teams to converge on an integrated aircraft design

What You’ve Done

• MSc or PhD in Aerospace Engineering or a closely related field
• 5–10+ years of experience in aircraft aerodynamics and flight dynamics
• Hands‑on experience with aerodynamic modeling, CFD, and performance analysis
• Strong understanding of aircraft stability, control, and handling qualities
• Experience taking configurations from early concept through refinement and validation
• Comfort making hard calls and discarding unworkable geometry early

Bonus Points

• Experience with UAVs or fast‑jet‑like planforms
• Background in high‑speed or long‑endurance aircraft design
• Prior exposure to flight‑test support or post‑flight aerodynamic correlation
• Experience balancing aerodynamic performance with integration constraints

Why Join Us

• You’ll be supported and rewarded with competitive compensation while contributing to a mission‑driven program making an impact on a global stage.
• You’ll directly shape the aerodynamic identity of a jet‑class autonomous aircraft
• You’ll work in a small, fast‑moving team where analysis turns into hardware quickly
• You’ll see your designs progress from models to flight

Job Type: Full-time

Application Question(s):

• Have you personally owned aerodynamic design decisions (wing, control surfaces, inlets, or overall configuration) for a fixed‑wing aircraft or UAV beyond isolated CFD tasks?
• Do you have hands‑on experience using both CFD tools and reduced‑order methods (e.g., AVL, OpenVSP, XFOIL) to guide real aircraft design decisions?
• Have you directly contributed to trim, stability, and control analysis across the flight envelope (including low‑speed or landing behavior)?
• Have you supported or performed flight‑test aerodynamic correlation, where flight data was used to update or correct aerodynamic models?

Work Location: In person