Flight Sciences Engineer (Aerospace)

TL;DR

Flight Sciences Engineer (Aerospace): Owning vehicle performance analysis, flight dynamics, and configuration trades for a hybrid-electric lift+cruise VTOL program with an accent on 6-DOF modeling and energy management. Focus on building aero databases, deriving external flight loads, and correlating flight test data with analytical predictions.

Location: Hybrid in Byron, CA; must be authorized to receive software or technology controlled under U.S. export control laws (EAR)

Salary: $203,000 - $280,000 a year

Company

hirify.global builds autonomous vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) cargo aircraft systems to transform middle-mile logistics across defense and commercial sectors.

What you will do

• Lead vehicle performance modeling across hover, transition, and cruise regimes, including mission analysis and energy management.
• Build and maintain 6-DOF flight dynamics models, aero databases, and conduct trim analysis.
• Drive vehicle design trades for OML shaping, drag reduction, and control surface sizing to meet performance requirements.
• Derive external flight loads across the operational envelope and collaborate with structures teams on load cases.
• Support flight test planning, instrumentation requirements, and post-flight data reduction and correlation.
• Integrate hybrid-electric powertrain models into mission analysis and define power-required envelopes.

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Aerospace Engineering or a closely related field.
• 5+ years of meaningful hands-on experience in flight sciences, vehicle performance, or flight dynamics.
• Proficiency in vehicle performance modeling (energy-based methods, point-mass and full 6-DOF simulation).
• Strong programming skills in Python and/or MATLAB for analysis and tool development.
• Working proficiency with aerodynamic analysis tools from low-order methods (XFOIL, panel codes) to mid-fidelity RANS CFD.
• Ability to comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations (EAR).

Nice to have

• Direct experience with eVTOL, tiltrotor, or lift+cruise configurations.
• Background in hybrid-electric propulsion performance modeling and battery sizing.
• Experience with flight simulation environments like JSBSim, Simulink, or FlightGear.
• Knowledge of certification under FAA Part 23, Part 27, or EASA SC-VTOL frameworks.
• Experience in aeroelastics or structural loads definition.

Culture & Benefits

• Opportunity to establish the Chaparral VTOL as an industry standard in a $420Bn market.
• Commitment to diverse perspectives and an inclusive work environment.
• Work on cutting-edge hybrid-electric aviation technology.
• Collaborative engineering environment with direct impact on vehicle certification and deployment.