Engine Performance & Operability Engineer
Confirmed on the employer's own hiring board on Oct 7, 2026. First seen by Alion on Oct 5, 2026. Boom Supersonic scores B on the Alion truth index.
Boom Supersonic designed, built, and flew XB-1, the first civil supersonic jet made in America, and has sold Overture, the supersonic airliner, to major airlines. That same team is now building Symphony, the engine that powers Overture, and adapting Superpower, its industrial gas turbine, to power AI data centers.
Superpower's next design and test decisions need defensible answers on power, heat rate, stall margin, starts, and load response. You will own defined performance and operability scope from model assumptions through test evidence, working with compressor, turbine, secondary-air, controls, and test engineers to diagnose gaps and recommend what to change. That work builds Boom's in-house engine-level design capability for Superpower and the methods Symphony will use. You will see your predictions meet measured behavior while there is still a decision to make.
What you'll do
- Own steady-state and transient cycle-modeling and operability-analysis scope for Superpower and Symphony, with documented assumptions and checks.
- Assess stall margin and operability across transients, start behavior, and load response with component and controls teams.
- Define performance and operability test questions and instrumentation needs with the test team.
- Reduce test data, reconcile measured results with predictions, and calibrate models with evidence.
- Integrate compressor, turbine, combustion, and secondary-air trades into engine-level recommendations and answer customer power and heat-rate questions.
- Build shared PyCycle models and tools that make recurring analyses reproducible.
What you'll bring
- Aerothermodynamic fundamentals and depth in engine performance or operability appropriate to your level.
- Hands-on use of NPSS, PyCycle, GasTurb, or a comparable engine-analysis environment through industry, research, or substantial academic projects.
- Ability to explain component assumptions, maps, limits, and uncertainty behind a cycle prediction.
- Test, laboratory, or research exposure to instrumentation, data reduction, or model-to-data comparison.
- Python or equivalent used for reproducible engineering analysis, with clear technical communication.
What will set you apart
- Transient, starting, or sub-idle modeling experience.
- Ownership of stall-margin stack-ups and design/control trades.
- Free-power-turbine or industrial-gas-turbine experience alongside aero-engine work, or the reverse.
- Experience building tested, documented engineering tools others maintain and use.
You'll thrive here if
- You want to own an engine-level answer, not stop at a converged model or a component boundary.
- You use hardware data to challenge your own assumptions and improve the next design or test decision.
- You can give a clear recommendation under uncertainty and build methods teammates can trust.
What is it REALLY like to work at Boom?Find out here.
Compensation
- P2 Level - Typically 0 - 4 years of experience - Base salary range: $107,000 - $144,000
- P3 Level - Typically 5 - 10 years of experience - Base salary range: $124,000 - $167,000
- P4 Level - Typically 10 - 15 years of experience - Base salary range: $139,000 - $187,000
Actual salaries will vary based on factors including but not limited to location, experience, and performance. The range listed is just one component of Boom’s total rewards package for employees. Other rewards may include long-term incentives/equity, a flexible PTO policy, and many other progressive benefits.
There is no set deadline to apply for this job opportunity. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the search is no longer active.
ITAR Requirement
To conform to U.S. Government aerospace technology export regulations (ITAR and EAR), applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.Learn more about ITAR here.
Boom is an equal opportunity employer, including for individuals with disabilities and protected veterans. We are building a culture of merit and excellence.