Senior Aerothermal Analysis Engineer

Job description

Senior Aerothermal Analysis Engineer Location: Playa Vista, California (in-person, five days per week) The return lane isn’t going to build itself. Come build it with us. Outpost is an orbital logistics company rewriting the rules of global logistics by building reusable Earth-return vehicles that unlock in-space manufacturing, on-orbit warehousing, and 60-minute global delivery through space. Our CarryAll vehicle family returns payloads ranging from 200 kilograms to 10 metric tons, lands within 10 meters of its target, and can then be refurbished and launched again. One vehicle, many missions: responsive logistics and precision delivery for national security; commercial cargo moved with real cadence; R&D payloads flown, tested, and refined across repeatable cycles; and critical aid delivered where roads and runways can’t reach. The demand is already here, validated through defense and civil agreements and supported by a growing pipeline of government and commercial customers. We have the customers, the team, and a clear technical path ahead of us. We’re building the return lane. Come build it with us. The Role The Senior Aerothermal Analysis Engineer will own the aerothermal environments for CarryAll, combining high-fidelity CFD, engineering-level methods, and test data into the database that drives thermal protection system (TPS) sizing, structural design, and trajectory. On every return, CarryAll's deployable heatshield and structure pass through very different flow regimes as the vehicle slows from Mach 25, from rarefied upper-atmosphere flow through peak heating and down to subsonic descent. Because CarryAll is built to fly again, the environments don't just size a heatshield for one flight; they define how the thermal protection system holds up across many. Responsibilities Own aerothermal environment definition for CarryAll across its full flight envelope, from early trade studies through flight, and keep it current as the design evolves. Set up and run high-enthalpy CFD at the key trajectory points that anchor the environments, capturing thermochemical non-equilibrium effects where they matter. Bridge the gaps between CFD points with fast engineering heating methods, so every trajectory and attitude of interest has a credible answer without a full solve. Combine CFD, engineering estimates, and ground and flight test results into a single environment product with clearly stated uncertainties and margins. Work alongside Guidance Navigation and Control (GNC) engineers and hardware owners such as TPS, structures, and mechanism engineers to define environments that set TPS thickness, structural temperatures, and trajectory limits for flight hardware. Add solver capability when standard tools can't capture the physics, such as custom US3D subroutines for finite-rate chemistry, ablation products, and CarryAll-specific boundary conditions. Prove out new and existing methods against analytical cases, arc-jet and wind tunnel tests, and flight data. Automate environment generation and delivery so updates keep pace with design iterations. Managing and maintaining compute resources. Qualifications Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering. 5+ years of experience in hypersonic, supersonic, reentry, or rocketry aerothermodynamic analysis. Experience running high-enthalpy flow solvers (FUN3D, US3D, DPLR or similar). Experience with parallel scientific computing (e.g., MPI), high-performance computing environments, and large-scale CFD campaign automation. Experience with handbook and engineering-level heating estimation methods (e.g., Fay-Riddell, Tauber, MINIVER-class tools, or similar correlations). Strong fundamentals in hypersonic aerodynamics, boundary layer physics, and convective and radiative heat transfer. Experience modeling high-temperature gas dynamics and chemistry, including thermochemical non-equilibrium. Proficiency in programming languages like Python, Fortran, C++, or MATLAB for analysis tooling and automation. Proven ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with rapid iteration. Preferred Experience Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (Not required, but beneficial). Master's or PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent field. Direct experience with FUN3D, including extension through user-defined subroutines. Experience developing aerodynamic databases. Experience with uncertainty quantification and the definition of design margins for aerothermal environments. Experience integrating ground and flight test data into aerothermal vehicle models. Experience with boundary layer transition prediction and its treatment in heating environments. Experience with deployable or flexible decelerators and thermal protection systems (e.g., HIAD, ADEPT) or reusable TPS. Familiarity with Fidelity Pointwise or equivalent meshing software for generating high-quality meshes. Experience modeling radiative heating using radiation transport tools. Familiarity with TPS sizing and material response tools (e.g., FIAT, CHAR) as downstream consumers of environments. Experience contributing to an aerothermal database effort from a vehicle's early design stages through first flight. Involvement in planning, leading, and/or post-processing wind tunnel or arc-jet test campaigns. Prior experience working in startups and/or small independent teams. Compensation: Competitive compensation: $170,000 - $225,000 annual salary; (commensurate with experience). Additional Compensation : Annual performance-based bonuses that reward your impact. Shared upside: Meaningful equity in Outpost so you share directly in the value you help create. Comprehensive healthcare: Medical, dental, and vision coverage to keep you and your loved ones covered. We cover the base tier of medical insurance and all premiums of vision and dental. Protection when it matters: Company-provided short- and long-term disability coverage for peace of mind, plus life insurance for even more security. PTO: Recharge on your own terms with paid time off, plus 9 days of paid holidays. Invest in your future: 401(k) with company match to help you build long-term wealth. Fueled for the mission: Daily DoorDash lunch stipend, plus unlimited snacks, coffee, and tea to keep you energized. Mission that matters: Work shoulder-to-shoulder with leaders from aerospace, new space, and deep-tech industries building the future of orbital infrastructure. Pet Friendly Office : Bring your furry friend into the office so that they can be a part of our mission too. Monthly Company Happy Hours and Events : Drinks at the local bar, hibachi nights, mini golfing and more! You must be a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 22 C.F.R. § 120.15 , or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S.