Principal Engineer Applied Aerodynamics

ABOUT THE ROLE
The Principal Applied Aerodynamics Engineer shall demonstrate technical ownership, sound physical intuition, disciplined judgment, and accountability for the aerodynamic products assigned to the position. The engineer shall treat aerodynamic predictions as evidence with defined assumptions, uncertainty, configuration, and validity limits rather than as unquestionable numerical outputs. The engineer shall develop and maintain a mental model of the expected flow physics before reviewing computational or experimental results.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop aerodynamic concepts and configuration solutions that support aircraft-level mission and performance requirements.
• Evaluate candidate wing, tail, canard, fuselage, forebody, control-surface, nacelle, inlet, propulsion, and external-store arrangements.
• Define aerodynamic requirements and design objectives for assigned configurations or work packages.
• Establish appropriate aerodynamic analysis plans using analytical, empirical, computational, and experimental methods.
• Develop and maintain aerodynamic geometry suitable for analysis, design optimization, wind-tunnel models, and aircraft definition.
• Assess aerodynamic implications of outer-mold-line changes and manufacturing deviations.
• Conduct aerodynamic analyses using handbook, empirical, lifting-line, vortex-lattice, panel, Euler, RANS, or higher-fidelity methods as appropriate.
• Define CFD domains, meshes, boundary conditions, numerical schemes, turbulence models, transition assumptions, convergence requirements, and reporting criteria.
• Conduct mesh-sensitivity, timestep-sensitivity, domain-sensitivity, and model-sensitivity studies.
• Review surface pressures, flow topology, shocks, separation, wakes, vortices, and other physical evidence in addition to integrated coefficients.
• Develop airfoil, wing, twist, camber, thickness, spanload, and tip-shape solutions.
• Develop or assess high-lift systems and control-surface aerodynamic characteristics.
• Perform aerodynamic drag breakdowns and identify credible drag-reduction opportunities.
• Determine lift, drag, force, moment, stability, and control characteristics across the required flight envelope.
• Assess nonlinear, high-angle-of-attack, post-stall, asymmetric, and control-saturation behavior where applicable.
• Evaluate control effectiveness, aerodynamic balance, hinge moments, flow blanketing, and adverse aerodynamic interactions.
• Support wing loading, thrust-to-weight, design lift coefficient, cruise condition, takeoff, landing, maneuver, and envelope trades.
• Assess aerodynamic compatibility with mass properties and center-of-gravity ranges.
• Support propulsion integration, including inlet, nacelle, propeller, exhaust, cooling-flow, and engine-out effects.
• Assess the aerodynamic effects of landing gear, antennas, sensors, payloads, stores, gaps, steps, protuberances, and other installed features.
• Define wind-tunnel objectives, model requirements, test matrices, instrumentation, corrections, repeatability requirements, and acceptance criteria.
• Support wind-tunnel testing, monitor data quality, and direct changes to test priorities when evidence requires it.
• Reduce and interpret wind-tunnel data, including relevant tares, blockage, wall, support, transition, deformation, and scale corrections.
• Reconcile analytical, CFD, wind-tunnel, ground-test, supplier, and flight-test aerodynamic information.
• Develop and maintain aerodynamic databases for Performance, Flight Qualities, Guidance and Control, Loads, Simulation, Safety, and Flight Test.
• Define database conventions, reference quantities, independent variables, configuration identifiers, interpolation rules, uncertainty, and validity limits.
• Maintain traceability between aerodynamic requirements, source data, geometry, analyses, tests, databases, and verification evidence.
• Perform uncertainty, sensitivity, robustness, and design-of-experiments studies.
• Support aerodynamic optimization and multidisciplinary design optimization.
• Investigate aerodynamic anomalies, unexpected performance, control-effectiveness deficiencies, buffet, separation, or model-test discrepancies.
• Support flight-test planning, test-point definition, aerodynamic parameter identification, and flight-data correlation.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Aeronautical, Mechanical, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Computational Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Master’s degree or PhD in Aerodynamics, Fluid Mechanics, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Aircraft Design, Experimental Aerodynamics, or a related field is preferred.
• Typically 10 or more years of relevant aerospace or comparable applied-fluid-dynamics experience.
• Substantial experience applying aerodynamic analysis to the design or development of a complete aircraft, missile, unmanned vehicle, or major aerodynamic component.
• Strong practical knowledge of subsonic, transonic, supersonic, or hypersonic aerodynamics as appropriate to the program portfolio.
• Experience with lift, drag, stability, control, aerodynamic interference, trim, and configuration development.
• Experience with airfoil, wing, body, control-surface, high-lift, inlet, nacelle, or complete-aircraft aerodynamic design.
• Proficiency with relevant CFD tools and supporting geometry, meshing, post-processing, scripting, and automation environments.
• Experience with lower-order aerodynamic tools, empirical methods, handbook methods, or reduced-order models.
• Experience defining, supporting, or interpreting wind-tunnel tests.
• Experience assessing mesh sensitivity, convergence, turbulence modeling, numerical uncertainty, and model-form uncertainty.
• Experience developing aerodynamic databases or structured aerodynamic datasets.
• Experience correlating analytical, CFD, wind-tunnel, and flight-test information.
• Familiarity with CAD and geometry-management processes.
• Familiarity with MATLAB, Python, C/C++, optimization frameworks, workflow automation, or equivalent engineering environments.
• Experience supporting multidisciplinary design trades and major aerospace lifecycle reviews.
• Demonstrated ability to lead a significant aerodynamic work package with limited supervision.
• Experience preparing controlled analysis reports, aerodynamic-data reports, test plans, test reports, and substantiation evidence.
• Professional proficiency in written and spoken English.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

WHY CHOOSE THE COMPANY
Launched in November 2019, the UAE's the company is one of the world's leading advanced technology groups, established to develop agile, bold and disruptive solutions for defence and beyond, and to be a catalyst for change and transformation. It is dedicated to bringing breakthrough innovations, products, and services to market with greater speed and efficiency, to position the UAE as a leading global hub for future industries, and to creating clear paths within the sector for the next generation of highly skilled talent to thrive.

At the company, the real investment goes beyond compensation. Through our dedicated learning academy and digital learning platforms, employees have access to extensive opportunities to develop new skills, deepen their expertise, and advance their careers. Combined with the freedom to innovate, strong career support, and the opportunity to collaborate with world-class talent from across the globe, the company is a place where you can continue to grow, keep learning, and turn ambitious ideas into meaningful outcomes.

Working at the company also comes with a package that genuinely reflects how much we value our people. Salaries are highly competitive and tax-free and, depending on your role and seniority, benefits can include family visas, annual flight tickets, medical insurance for you and your dependents, and education allowances for your children.