Senior Reentry Simulation Engineer

Role description

You will lead the reentry simulation and aerothermodynamic analysis for a next-generation free-flying reentry capsule. You will develop the models needed to characterize the vehicle’s aerodynamic, thermal, and structural environment throughout atmospheric reentry and recovery, and use the results to drive the vehicle’s design.

Your work will cover the full reentry environment, from hypersonic flight through the lower atmosphere and recovery. You will define key vehicle parameters such as aerodynamic configuration and ballistic coefficient, quantify aerodynamic and thermal loads, and translate simulation results into practical requirements for the vehicle and its Thermal Protection System (TPS). You will work closely with a dedicated trajectory analysis engineer and the broader multidisciplinary engineering team to turn simulation results into hardware decisions.

This position is in a startup environment. You should be comfortable with ambiguity, tight schedules, shifting priorities, rapid iteration, and taking ownership of technical decisions that directly affect the final product.

Work arrangement: Remote, with 20–30% travel to the core engineering facilities

Visa: EU work authorization preferred; visa sponsorship may be considered for exceptional candidates

Contract: Permanent, with 3-month probation

Salary: Dependent on the candidate’s remote location

Stock: Option to convert a percentage of your monthly salary into company stock at favourable terms

Responsibilities

• Develop and run high-fidelity simulations of atmospheric reentry and recovery.
• Characterize aerodynamic forces, pressures, thermal loads, and other environmental conditions across the reentry trajectory.
• Perform aerothermodynamic analysis, including convective and radiative heat-transfer effects across different flight regimes.
• Use CFD and other numerical methods to model the vehicle’s aerodynamic and thermal environment.
• Apply Monte Carlo and other statistical simulation methods to assess variations, uncertainties, and off-nominal reentry conditions.
• Define and optimize key vehicle parameters, including aerodynamic configuration and ballistic coefficient.
• Work closely with the trajectory analysis engineer to evaluate and optimize reentry trajectories and their impact on vehicle loads.
• Translate simulation results into engineering requirements for the Thermal Protection System (TPS) and other vehicle components.
• Use FEA and related simulation methods to identify structural and thermal risks and support engineering design decisions.
• Develop CAD models, simulation inputs, technical reports, and other documentation required to communicate designs to structural engineers and manufacturing partners.
• Take technical ownership of the reentry and aerothermodynamic simulation workstream and communicate key findings and design implications to the wider engineering team.

Main requirements

• Proven experience with atmospheric reentry, hypersonic flight, or closely related aerospace simulation.
• Strong expertise in aerodynamics and aerothermodynamics.
• Hands-on experience with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD).
• Strong understanding of aerodynamic and thermal reentry environments.
• Experience modelling convective and radiative heat transfer in high-speed atmospheric flight.
• Experience with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and coupled or multidisciplinary simulation workflows.
• Experience using Monte Carlo or other statistical methods for engineering simulation and uncertainty analysis.

Other requirements

• Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Rocket Science, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, or any other related technical discipline.
• Practical baseline understanding of materials, thermal protection systems, and mechanical design.
• Ability to translate simulation results into concrete vehicle, TPS, and hardware design decisions.

Nice to have

• Direct experience with reentry capsules, spacecraft, launch vehicles, rockets, or hypersonic aerospace systems.
• Experience with atmospheric reentry testing or experimental validation of aerothermal models.
• Experience designing or selecting TPS systems.
• Experience with high-temperature materials and thermal/structural coupling.
• Experience developing engineering tools or simulation frameworks in Python, MATLAB, or similar languages.

Benefits

• Relocation assistance is available if you would like to move to the location of the on-site engineering facilities.