Senior Aerothermal Engineer

Location: Derby | Hybrid – three days per week on site

Rate: Competitive hourly rates | Inside IR35 | Umbrella payroll

Hours: 37 per week

Duration: 12 months, with extensions highly likely

Piper Maddox is supporting a major aerospace engineering business with the appointment of a number of Aerothermal Engineers for a next-generation defence power and propulsion programme.

These positions offer the opportunity to contribute to complex development work, from component-level analysis and concept evaluation through to wider powerplant integration. We’re interested in engineers with expertise across gas-path aerodynamics, turbomachinery, cooling, combustion, and inlet or exhaust flows. Individual responsibilities will depend on your specialism.

The role

You will use analysis and test evidence to understand performance, assess design options and support engineering decisions.

Responsibilities will include:

• Defining aerodynamic, thermodynamic and combustion modelling requirements at system, subsystem and component level.
• Developing and evaluating concepts to support design trade-offs and concept selection.
• Performing CFD and other technical analysis, selecting methods and levels of detail appropriate to the development stage and problem.
• Supporting verification and validation, including test specification, model calibration against measured data and uncertainty assessment.
• Working with adjacent engineering disciplines to integrate and optimise aerothermal designs, accounting for component interactions and manufacturing constraints.

Your background

We’re looking for engineers who combine a strong understanding of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics with practical modelling and analysis experience. You should be comfortable explaining your assumptions, assessing the limitations of a model and translating results into clear recommendations.

Relevant experience may include:

• Aerothermal development within aero engines, gas turbines or closely related applications.
• CFD, heat transfer, cooling, combustion or turbomachinery analysis.
• Test-data interpretation and validation of numerical models.
• Working across design, manufacturing and other engineering disciplines.
• Awareness of product integrity and relevant certification frameworks.

You do not need expertise across every area listed; we are looking to build a team with complementary capabilities.

Contract arrangements

The roles are inside IR35, with payroll through an Umbrella company and weekly timesheets. A BPSS check is required before onboarding, and eligibility for SC clearance is essential.

To discuss the opportunities, contact Charles Orr at Piper Maddox or apply with your CV, availability, preferred location and hourly rate expectations.