{"id":2826802,"url":"https://alion.io/job/wardstone-senior-aerodynamics-engineer","title":"Senior Aerodynamics Engineer","company":{"id":3806068,"name":"Wardstone","domain":"wardstone.space","url":"https://alion.io/company/wardstone-2","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Gem","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":75,"open_postings":4,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":1,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":null,"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["El Segundo, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":140000,"max":170000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":170000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"MATLAB","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-18T20:42:32Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-18","last_verified_at":"2026-10-20T10:43:37Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":1,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":1},"description":"The Role\nYou will own the aerodynamics of Wardstone’s interceptors. You’ll shape the vehicle’s external design, build and maintain the aerodynamic database (ADB) that our flight simulations depend on, and run the analyses that tell us how the vehicle will fly. You’ll report to [the founders / Head of Engineering].\nThe vehicle has to maneuver hard at supersonic speeds while fitting the size limits of existing launchers. You’ll work directly with the founders and with the mechanical, GNC, and propulsion engineers. You’ll take the aerodynamic design from first concept through wind tunnel testing to flight, and use flight data to improve your models.\nWhat You’ll Do\nDesign the interceptor\nOwn the aerodynamic design of the outer mold line (OML) together with the mechanical team, balancing drag, stability, maneuverability, and internal volume.\nDesign and size the control surfaces and fins for the authority GNC needs across the flight envelope.\nRun trade studies on vehicle configuration, such as body shape, nose shape, and control surface layout.\nBuild and maintain the ADB\nBuild the aerodynamic database: force and moment coefficients across Mach number, angle of attack, sideslip, and control deflection, including damping derivatives.\nDeliver the ADB in a form the GNC team’s 6DOF simulation can use directly, and keep it under version control.\nQuantify uncertainty in the ADB so GNC can run meaningful Monte Carlo analysis.\nRun aerodynamic models and simulations\nUse engineering-level tools (e.g., Missile DATCOM) for fast trades, and CFD for detailed analysis.\nAnalyze stability, control effectiveness, and the transonic and supersonic flight regimes.\nEstimate aerodynamic heating and distributed aerodynamic loads for the mechanical and thermal designs.\nModel propulsion and aerodynamic interactions, such as plume effects, with the propulsion team.\nTest and validate\nPlan and run wind tunnel tests, including working with test facilities, defining test matrices, and reducing data.\nCorrelate the ADB against wind tunnel and flight test data, and update the models.\nSupport flight tests through pre-flight predictions, post-flight trajectory reconstruction, and aerodynamic analysis.\nRequired Qualifications\nB.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field. M.S. or Ph.D. preferred.\n5+ years of applied aerodynamics experience on flight vehicles.\nExperience building aerodynamic databases for flight simulation.\nStrong command of supersonic aerodynamics and stability and control.\nHands-on CFD experience (e.g., Star-CCM+, Fluent, FUN3D, Cart3D, or similar).\nExperience with engineering-level aerodynamic prediction tools (e.g., Missile DATCOM or similar).\nProficiency in Python or MATLAB for analysis, data reduction, and automation.\nMust be a U.S. person as defined by ITAR (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual). [Must be eligible to obtain a U.S. security clearance.]\nNice to Have\nAerodynamics experience on missiles, interceptors, rockets, or other high-speed vehicles.\nExperience planning and running wind tunnel tests.\nExperience with aerothermal analysis or high-speed heating prediction.\nExperience correlating models with flight test data or reconstructing trajectories.\nFamiliarity with 6DOF simulation and how GNC uses aerodynamic data.\nExperience with OML design within packaging and launcher constraints.\nPrior early-stage startup experience.\nCompensation\nThe base pay range for this role is $140,000 - $170,000 per year.","description_format":"text","description_chars":3502,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Air Defense","Defense AI"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-18T23:15:13Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":1,"expected_fill_days":36,"reasons":["conf:0","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-10-20T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":170000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/wardstone-senior-aerodynamics-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/wardstone-senior-aerodynamics-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-20T11:32:24Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":12690,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-21T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":3806068},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=3806068"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fwardstone-senior-aerodynamics-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fwardstone-senior-aerodynamics-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fwardstone-senior-aerodynamics-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/wardstone-senior-aerodynamics-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fwardstone-senior-aerodynamics-engineer"}]}