Senior Aerospace Engineer

About the role

Mach Industries is seeking a Senior Aerospace Engineer - Aerothermal & Hypersonics to own high-speed aerodynamic and aerothermal design for next-generation hypersonic and atmospheric entry systems. You will lead vehicle shaping and aero/aerothermal trades while predicting aerodynamic heating and related high-temperature flight environments. In this position, you will contribute directly to Thermal Protection System evaluation in partnership with materials, structures, and thermal engineering teams. The role requires 5-7+ years of experience taking complex aerospace work from concept through design, analysis, test, and implementation. You will help stand up aerothermal and TPS test capability as the company scales its defense technology operations. You will support lower-speed aero work in conjunction with other aerodynamicists when program requirements demand it. This position is focused on ensuring vehicle performance and survivability in extreme high-speed atmospheric regimes.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Lead or co-own aerodynamic and aerothermal design activities for hypersonic and atmospheric entry vehicles, including vehicle shaping, performance, stability, and thermal environment definition.
• Predict and analyze aerodynamic heating environments using engineering (first-order/closed-form) heating methods and higher-fidelity aerothermal analysis as needed.
• Develop and evaluate Thermal Protection System concepts, materials, architectures, and margins for hypersonic flight and atmospheric entry vehicles.
• Perform entry, descent, and re-entry trajectory-informed aerothermal environment prediction and vehicle performance assessments.
• Partner with structures, Thermal Engineers, propulsion, GNC, and systems engineering to close vehicle-level trades among aero, heating, TPS mass/thickness, and mission performance.
• Build and maintain engineering models, run trade studies, and document assumptions, margins, and recommendations for design reviews across the product lifecycle.
• Help establish and then support ground aerothermal/TPS test approaches, flight-test planning, execution, data analysis, and post-flight validation.
• Correlate predicted environments and TPS performance to test evidence to refine models and improve future design fidelity.
• Support lower-speed aero work in conjunction with other aerodynamicists when programs require it.
• Contribute to the establishment of test capability and methodology as the company rapidly scales its hypersonic and aerothermal test infrastructure.
• Ensure engineering documentation is thorough, clear, and suitable for design reviews, customer interactions, and regulatory considerations.
• Work within fast-paced, multidisciplinary engineering environments while maintaining rigorous analytical standards.
• Mentor junior engineers and provide technical leadership appropriate to a senior IC in an agile, mission-focused organization.
• Drive the resolution of complex technical problems through first-principles analysis and practical engineering judgment.
• Communicate technical trade-offs clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders across the program lifecycle.

Requirements

• Hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
• Possess 5-7+ years of professional aerospace engineering experience.
• Demonstrate experience contributing to or leading a project from initial concept through implementation, including design, analysis, test, and fielding or equivalent closure.
• Show demonstrated experience in hypersonic aerodynamic design, including vehicle shaping, aerodynamic performance optimization, and computational or experimental analysis for high-speed flight or atmospheric entry vehicles.
• Have a strong working understanding of hypersonic flight and atmospheric entry environments.
• Maintain strong working knowledge of aerodynamics for high-speed vehicles with the ability to support lower-speed aero alongside teammates.
• Show strong working understanding of aerothermal analysis and aerodynamic heating, including engineering heating methods and high-temperature gas dynamics.
• Have familiarity with TPS materials, architectures, and thermal performance evaluation; working fluency is required, with deep heat-shield ownership being a plus.
• Bring experience using CFD, aerothermal, and aerodynamic analysis tools, with familiarity with several of: STAR-CCM+, FUN3D, LociCHEM, US3D, CFD++, DATCOM, OpenVSP, MATLAB, and Python.
• Demonstrate experience working in fast-paced, multidisciplinary engineering environments.
• Exhibit strong analytical, documentation, and communication skills.
• Mentor and provide technical leadership appropriate to a senior IC.
• Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen or permanent resident / as defined for export-control compliance).

Nice to have

• Experience with trajectory and flight dynamics simulation tools relevant to hypersonic and entry vehicles.
• Prior exposure to ground test article fabrication, instrumentation, and data reduction for aerothermal/TPS testing.
• Familiarity with relevant defense technology programs and mission assurance processes in a government contracting environment.
• Knowledge of material systems including ceramics, composites, and ablatives for high-heat-flux applications.
• Experience with design optimization methods and tools for high-speed vehicles.
• Background in autonomy, sensing, or perception systems relevant to autonomous defense platforms.
• Experience interfacing with regulatory or standards organizations relevant to aerospace and defense.

Practical notes

This role is full_time and based in Huntington Beach, California. The position requires U.S. citizenship or permanent residency to meet export control requirements. Willingness to occasionally support test activities, which may require domestic travel. No specific hours are stated beyond standard full-time expectations.