CAD / CFD Engineer – Novel VTOL UAV (Equity, Early Stage) in Wolverhampton

Ay Up Duck Aerospace is developing Mandarin, a novel rotorless VTOL fixed-wing UAV that combines long-range efficiency with true vertical take-off and landing. Rather than exposed rotors or tilt mechanisms, Mandarin uses a fan-driven internal airflow system to manage high-energy flow around the airframe, generating lift and control during hover and transition. The resulting architecture is simpler and safer than conventional VTOL designs - but it presents genuinely hard aerodynamic problems.

We are looking for a CAD / CFD engineer who wants to own those problems, not just analyse them. This is not a graduate or training role. We are looking for someone who has already moved beyond supervised or purely academic CFD work, and who is comfortable making geometry-defining aerodynamic decisions independently, with limited guidance, in an early-stage environment. The geometry involves complex 3D curvature throughout with very few flat planes.

This role involves both developing and evolving the CAD geometry itself, and running the CFD analysis as part of the aerodynamic solution - not running CFD on geometry created by others.

What you’ll work on

• Airflow management beyond the fan, including:

• Internal flow behaviour, pressure losses, and expansion through complex ducting and plenums
• External flow over highly curved fuselage and control geometries
• Hover and transition regimes, modelled to support real design decisions

CAD and CFD are tightly coupled in this work. Geometry is the aerodynamic solution: small changes materially affect pressure recovery, separation behaviour, and control authority.

What we care about

• Strong CAD and CFD capability
• Physical insight and engineering judgement
• Demonstrated experience using CFD as a decision-making tool, not just validation
• Comfort owning and evolving complex CAD geometry as part of the aerodynamic solution
• Ability to work independently and take responsibility for ambiguous, first-principles problems

We don’t screen on job titles, career stage, or formal qualifications, but we do need evidence that you’ve already carried independent responsibility for complex aerodynamic design decisions. If you meet some of the above and the challenge excites you, we’d much rather hear from you than have you rule yourself out.

Tools and approach

• ANSYS Fluent / Discovery preferred, or equivalent CAD and CFD tools with clearly transferable skills
• Comfort iterating CAD directly in response to aerodynamic insight from CFD analysis
• Use of your own local compute resources is expected; access to a dedicated CFD workstation near Stoke-on-Trent is available if needed

Location & working style

• UK-based role (non-negotiable)
• Must already have the right to work in the UK - we are not able to sponsor visas
• Ideally Midlands-based, with the ability to visit Stoke-on-Trent periodically
• Largely remote and outcome-focused, not time-based

Security

Due to the dual-use nature of the platform, any longer-term or expanded role may require eligibility for UK Security Check (SC) clearance.

Terms

• Initial 6-month engagement
• Equity only, milestone-based
• Flexible, outcome-focused working
• Any continued involvement beyond the initial engagement would be under a separate agreement

If you’re reading this and thinking "this sounds hard - but I’ve already been the person others come to for aerodynamic judgement", we’d like to hear from you. Please get in touch via the Ay Up Duck Aerospace page or email hello@ayupduck.aero, with a brief note on your background and why this problem interests you.