CFD Engineer

We are Skytree

Skytree enables a transition to a world with cleaner Air for everyone. We do this by developing and deploying smart technology that captures atmospheric carbon dioxide, enabling its use or storage to combat climate change and aid society and businesses around the world.

Born out of the European Space Agency (ESA), we are a global team of highly talented scientists, engineers and business professionals, supported by an experienced management team. Our working culture is based on a dynamic and smart approach to business with an open and understanding attitude to others and a desire to expand the boundaries of what is possible.

As we enter a new phase of growth, we are looking for a CFD Engineer to continue on this journey with us.

Your role

Let’s start off with giving you some context in which the role sits. The team you’ll join is the System Process Engineering team which currently has 3 team members (R&D Manager and 2 System Process Engineers). However, it’s worth mentioning that this team is growing quite rapidly as we’re hiring a third System Process Engineer as well as a Digital Twin & Simulation Engineer. This means that, within a few weeks, the team consists out of 6 people. Given that, you’ll enter a team being in quite a transition of growth. The System Process Engineering team is part of the bigger Technology organisation which covers everything in order to drive the development of our cutting-edge Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology.

As part of the System Process Engineering team we’re looking for a CFD Engineer. From this role, your primary focus is the airflow simulation while taking into account the non-linear behaviour of real-world wind conditions. As we’re about to deploy our very first systems, this is a key opportunity to further optimize the system’s performance by minimizing recirculation of decarbonised air, while maximizing capture efficiency. Beyond this core scope, the role also spans thermal management, fan and system design, and other fluid dynamics challenges that arise as we scale our technology.

This is a hands-on engineering role with significant ownership and direct impact on our hardware and deployment decisions.

You’ll make an impact by

You will have 3 main focus areas: Real-World Wind Condition Optimization, System-Level Simulation and Ways of Working. Below more insights on each focus area can be found.

1. Real-World Wind Condition Optimization

• Build and run CFD models simulating airflow across real-world use cases capturing turbulent flow structures, wake interactions, and CO2 transport.

• Incorporate real-world meteorological data to simulate how wind direction, speed, and atmospheric conditions affect system performance across seasons.

• Use parametric studies and optimisation methods to identify optimal unit spacing, orientation, and height - and translate findings into clear engineering recommendations.

• Validate models against field measurements and iterate based on experimental data.

• Produce deliverables including flow visualisations, performance maps, and layout optimisation reports for internal and external stakeholders.

2. System-Level Simulation

• Model thermal behaviour of DAC units, including heat rejection from sorbent regeneration and its effect on surrounding airflow.

• Support fan and blower design by analysing pressure drop and flow distribution at the unit level.

• Contribute to environmental assessments where fluid simulation is relevant, including dispersion modelling for regulatory purposes.

• As the team and technology evolve, take on simulation challenges in adjacent areas such as intra-unit flow or sorbent bed behaviour.

3. Ways of Working

• Automate simulation workflows and post-processing pipelines to enable efficient parametric exploration.

• Maintain well-documented simulation records and present results clearly to cross-functional teams including plant design, operations, and R&D leadership.

• Engage with academic and industry partners where relevant to stay at the frontier of simulation methods for carbon capture.

Requirements

What we’re looking for

• MSc or PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Atmospheric Physics, or a related field with strong fluid mechanics content.

• Practical experience with CFD simulation, including meshing, solver setup, turbulence modelling, and post-processing.

• Comfortable working with external flow problems - wind, wake interactions, or atmospheric boundary layers are a strong plus.

• Able to write scripts to automate simulation workflows and analyse large datasets.

• Familiarity with optimisation or surrogate modelling methods for design space exploration.

• Track record of validating models against experimental or field data.

• Clear communicator who can translate complex simulation results into actionable decisions for non-specialists.

• Rigorous and self-directed - comfortable owning a workstream from problem definition through to validated output.

• Curious and adaptable; the simulation challenges at Skytree will evolve as the technology scales.

What you can expect

Apart from working with great colleagues and a competitive package, you can also expect:

• A unique start-up environment offering organic professional and personal growth at one of the most innovative cleantech companies of Europe!

• A diverse (38+ nationalities) and fun team to work with.

• Travel cost reimbursement.

• Recharge with 25 vacation days, plus a little extra when life throws something special your way.

• Enjoy the flexibility of hybrid work.

• Our newly-launched Skytree office in the city centre of Katowice.

Questions?

Need some more info, or simply have a question for us? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our Talent Partner Sjoerd Jacobs ([email protected]).

Note: for this position we cannot offer a work permit / visa sponsorship.