Principal Engineer Applied Aerodynamics

About the role

EDGE, an advanced technology group based in Abu Dhabi focused on defence and emerging technologies, is looking for a Principal Applied Aerodynamics Engineer. The engineer takes technical ownership of the aerodynamic products assigned to the position, treating aerodynamic predictions as evidence with defined assumptions, uncertainty, configuration and validity limits, and develops a mental model of the expected flow physics before reviewing computational or experimental results.

Key responsibilities

• Develop aerodynamic concepts and configuration solutions that meet aircraft-level mission and performance requirements, and evaluate wing, tail, canard, fuselage, control-surface, nacelle, inlet and propulsion arrangements.
• Define aerodynamic requirements and analysis plans using analytical, empirical, computational and experimental methods; set up CFD domains, meshes, boundary conditions and turbulence models, and run mesh-, timestep- and model-sensitivity studies.
• Review surface pressures, shocks, separation, wakes and vortices, and develop airfoil, wing, twist, camber, thickness, spanload and tip-shape solutions.
• Develop or assess high-lift systems, control surfaces, drag breakdowns, stability and control characteristics, and nonlinear, post-stall and control-saturation behavior.
• Support wing loading, thrust-to-weight, cruise, takeoff, landing and maneuver trades, and assess compatibility with mass properties and center-of-gravity ranges.
• Support propulsion integration and the aerodynamic effects of landing gear, antennas, sensors, payloads, stores and gaps.
• Define wind-tunnel objectives, model requirements, instrumentation and corrections, support testing, reduce and interpret data, and reconcile analytical, CFD, wind-tunnel, ground-test, supplier and flight-test information.
• Maintain aerodynamic databases for performance, flight qualities, loads, simulation, safety and flight test, define conventions and validity limits, and ensure traceability.
• Run uncertainty, sensitivity and design-of-experiments studies, support optimization, investigate anomalies, and support flight-test planning and data correlation.

Required profile

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace, aeronautical, mechanical, applied mathematics, physics, computational engineering or a related discipline; Master's or PhD in aerodynamics or CFD preferred.
• Typically 10+ years of aerospace or comparable applied-fluid-dynamics experience.
• Substantial experience applying aerodynamic analysis to complete aircraft, missiles, unmanned vehicles or major components, and experience with wind-tunnel tests and CFD.
• Ability to lead a significant aerodynamic work package with limited supervision and to prepare analysis reports, test plans and test reports.
• Professional proficiency in written and spoken English.

Required skills

• Proficiency with CFD tools, geometry, meshing, post-processing, scripting and automation.
• Lower-order methods, empirical and handbook methods, and experience with MATLAB, Python, C/C++ or similar environments.
• Familiarity with CAD and geometry management, and with multidisciplinary design trades and lifecycle reviews.