Aircraft Performance Engineer

What is JetZero? Today’s aircraft contribute around 4% of global CO2 emissions, equivalent to the emissions of 200 million cars. This is only going to increase: Air travel is forecasted to double by 2050, while meaningful efficiency gains using current airplanes have hit a wall. JetZero is developing a blended-wing body (BWB) aircraft. It uses up to 50% less fuel and will be built to accommodate zero-emission hydrogen propulsion. JetZero is the inevitable solution to sustainable air travel. The JetZero Team We are experienced aerospace professionals and engineers, excited about the future. That future will only be possible if we share our vision and what it means to people’s lives: carbon-free flight that' is better for both passengers and airlines around the world. What You'll Do: - Develop, maintain, and validate aircraft and propulsion performance models supporting design, simulation, and flight test. - Own the engine performance model, including thrust, fuel flow, efficiency, bleed/power extraction, atmospheric effects, installation effects, and engine operating limits throughout the flight envelope. - Develop methods for in-flight thrust determination, using available engine parameters, aircraft state data, aerodynamic models, and flight-test measurements. - Perform engine model calibration and correlation against OEM performance data, ground-test data, and flight-test results. - Analyze propulsion and aircraft flight-test data to determine installed thrust, drag, excess thrust/power, specific fuel consumption, and overall aircraft performance. - As part of Flight Sciences, work closely with Propulsion, Aerodynamics, Flight Test, Systems, and Performance teams to establish consistent thrust and drag accounting methodologies. - Conduct aircraft performance analyses including takeoff, climb, cruise, descent, landing, range, payload, fuel burn, and reserves. - Develop tools and processes for flight-test performance reduction, including atmospheric normalization, data filtering, uncertainty assessment, and model correlation. - Support the definition of flight-test procedures and instrumentation requirements needed to validate engine and aircraft performance. What You Bring: - Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field. - Strong experience in gas turbine engine performance and aircraft propulsion integration. - Demonstrated experience developing or using engine cycle/performance models and interpreting engine deck or OEM propulsion data. - Experience with in-flight thrust determination or flight-test propulsion performance analysis. - Strong understanding of turbofan engine performance, including gross thrust, ram drag, net thrust, corrected parameters, fuel flow, atmospheric corrections, and installation effects. - Strong understanding of aircraft performance, aerodynamics, propulsion-airframe integration, and aircraft energy methods. - Experience analyzing and correlating ground-test, engine-test, simulation, and flight-test data. - Proficiency with MATLAB and Python and experience developing engineering analysis tools and automated data-reduction methods. - Familiarity with aircraft data acquisition, instrumentation, telemetry, and flight-test data processing. - Strong analytical skills and demonstrated ability to solve problems that cross traditional aerodynamic, propulsion, and flight-test boundaries. - Excellent technical communication and documentation skills. Preferred Skills: - Experience conducting in-flight thrust determination on transport-category aircraft or flight-test programs. - Experience with engine performance tools such as NPSS, GasTurb, OEM engine decks, or equivalent proprietary engine-modeling environments. - Experience correlating engine deck predictions against measured engine parameters such as N1/N2, EGT/TGT, fuel flow, pressure, temperature, and aircraft flight conditions. - Familiarity with thrust bookkeeping and drag accounting, including separation of installed propulsion effects from aerodynamic drag. - Experience with flight-test techniques for determining aircraft drag, thrust, climb performance, and cruise performance. - Understanding of measurement uncertainty, parameter identification, sensitivity analysis, and statistical/model-correlation methods applied to flight-test data. - Experience with Part 25 aircraft performance certification and certification flight testing. - Experience with unconventional configurations, including blended wing body aircraft and highly integrated propulsion installations. - Familiarity with aircraft mission/performance simulation and multidisciplinary performance optimization. - Ability to use AI to efficiently develop tools and help in the documentation. Compensation: Our compensation package is a blend of base salary and equity options for eligible employees. The range for this role is $150,000 - $180,000. We consider a number of factors when presenting a final offer, including geography, internal equity and years of experience and expertise. Benefits - Generous PTO - 12 paid holidays - 401(k) - Medical, Dental, Vision insurance - Disability Insurance - Life Insurance - Equity tax advisory services - Supportive work culture The Interview Process We want our interview process to be a true reflection of our culture: transparent and collaborative. Throughout the interview process, your recruiter will guide you through the next steps and ensure you feel prepared every step of the way. - Our First Chat: During this first conversation, you’ll meet with a recruiter or hiring team member to chat through your background, what you could bring to our team, what you are looking for in your next role, and who we are. - The Hiring Manager Interview: You will meet with your potential future boss to really dive into the role, the team, expectations, and what success means at JetZero. This is your chance to really nerd out with someone in your field. - The Panel: Learn more about the team, responsibilities, and workflows. You should be prepared to speak about past projects, how you collaborate and communicate with others, and how you live our values. Depending on the team and role you are interviewing for, you may meet with several teammates as well as cross-functional partners. - The Executive Review: A chance to meet an executive and view JetZero from a different lens. Be prepared to ask well-thought-out questions about the company, culture, and more. Depending on the position you are interviewing for, there may also be a Take Home Exercise as part of the interview proccess. Our assessments seek to test the hard skills required to do the job. Your recruiter will inform you of which assessment you will be assigned and ensure you are fully prepared for your big day. JetZero does not sponsor visas for US positions unless specified. Only applicants with current work authorization will be considered. At JetZero, we value diversity and are an equal opportunity employer by choice. We consider all qualified applicants equally for employment & do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, ancestry, citizenship status, protected veteran status, religion, physical or mental disability, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or any other basis protected by federal, state or local laws, ordinance, or regulation.