At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive aerodynamic design for innovative aircraft, focusing on performance and low-noise propellers.
- Company: Join Flyer AI, a pioneering startup in autonomous delivery drones.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, hands-on experience, and the chance to shape future aircraft.
- Other info: Work closely with a passionate team and enjoy rapid career growth.
- Why this job: Be a founding engineer and make a real impact in aerospace innovation.
- Qualifications: Strong background in aerodynamics and practical engineering skills required.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.
Drive aerodynamic design decisions across airframe performance, low-noise propellers, CFD, and flight-test learning, turning first-principles analysis into better real aircraft.
As a founding engineer for Aerodynamics at Flyer AI, you will own the aerodynamic thinking behind our aircraft, from low-noise propellers and airframe performance to CFD-driven design decisions and flight-test learning loops. This is not a purely academic role. You will use aerodynamic analysis to help us make better aircraft, better propellers, and better engineering decisions fast, then correlate that work against real hardware and real flight behaviour.
Our aircraft is a lift-plus-cruise autonomous delivery drone with unusually demanding constraints: low noise, good efficiency, practical manufacturability, and robust real-world operation. We need someone who is comfortable moving between first-principles reasoning, modelling and simulation, design trade-offs, and hands-on collaboration with the people building and testing the aircraft.
In the near term, a major part of the role is helping us develop quieter, better-matched propellers and making sound aerodynamic decisions on the D1 prototype. Over time, that work will feed directly into the design of our future production aircraft.
A small and focussed team has been developing our prototype aircraft for technical demonstrations and seed fundraising. Now in receipt of significant grant funding, Flyer is expanding the founding engineering team with critical roles. You will join onsite, working directly with the founder and the expanding team to take Flyer from technical startup to global phenomenon over the next five years.
What we’re looking for:
- Team players who live our values: passion, commitment, courage, integrity, and trust.
- Exceptional intelligence, first-principles reasoning, and strong engineering judgment under ambiguity.
- Strong grounding in aerodynamics, with the ability to turn theory into practical design decisions.
- Experience in aerodynamic analysis, modelling, or CFD for aircraft, propellers, or closely related systems.
- Ability to reason clearly about drag, lift, stability-related aerodynamic effects, and performance trade-offs.
- A fail-fast, forward-leaning mindset that takes measured risks to move fast.
- Comfort working closely with real prototypes, test results, and imperfect data rather than idealised textbook cases.
- Curiosity about using modern AI tools and coding agents as force multipliers, while keeping strong engineering judgment.
- Experience with propeller design, rotor aerodynamics, or aeroacoustics.
- Experience with low Reynolds number aerodynamics or small-aircraft / UAV design.
- Practical CFD workflow experience and awareness of its limitations.
- Experience correlating analysis or simulation against bench, wind-tunnel, or flight-test data.
- Familiarity with rapid prototyping and design iteration in a startup.
Founding Engineer - Aerodynamics employer: Flyer AI
At Flyer AI, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters innovation and collaboration in the exciting field of aerodynamics. Located in Salisbury, Wiltshire, our dynamic work culture encourages hands-on involvement with cutting-edge technology, providing employees with unique opportunities for growth and development as we transition from a technical startup to a global leader. Join us to be part of a passionate team dedicated to creating advanced autonomous delivery drones while enjoying the benefits of a supportive environment that values integrity, commitment, and creativity.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding Engineer - Aerodynamics
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with people in the aerodynamics field. Attend industry events, join relevant online forums, and don’t be shy about reaching out on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio that highlights your aerodynamic design projects, simulations, and any hands-on work you've done. This is your chance to demonstrate how you turn theory into practice, so make it visually appealing and easy to understand.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for interviews by diving deep into the company’s projects and values. Understand their approach to low-noise propellers and CFD-driven design. Be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their needs and how you can contribute to making better aircraft.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive and engaged with our mission at Flyer AI.
We think you need these skills to ace Founding Engineer - Aerodynamics
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion:Let your enthusiasm for aerodynamics shine through in your application. We want to see that you’re not just ticking boxes but genuinely excited about the role and the impact you can make at Flyer AI.
Be Specific About Your Experience:When detailing your background, focus on specific projects or experiences that relate directly to aerodynamic design and analysis. We love seeing how you've turned theory into practice, so don’t hold back!
Highlight Teamwork Skills:Since we’re all about collaboration, make sure to mention any team projects you've been part of. Show us how you’ve worked with others to solve complex problems and drive results.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for this exciting opportunity to join our founding engineering team.
How to prepare for a job interview at Flyer AI
✨Know Your Aerodynamics
Brush up on your aerodynamics knowledge, especially regarding drag, lift, and stability. Be ready to discuss how you’ve applied first-principles reasoning in past projects, and think about specific examples where your aerodynamic analysis led to practical design decisions.
✨Showcase Your Hands-On Experience
Prepare to talk about your experience with real prototypes and testing. Highlight any instances where you correlated analysis with actual flight-test data, and be ready to discuss the challenges you faced and how you overcame them.
✨Emphasise Team Collaboration
Since this role is all about teamwork, think of examples that showcase your ability to collaborate effectively. Discuss how you’ve worked with engineers and other team members to drive design decisions, and demonstrate your commitment to shared goals.
✨Be Ready to Discuss Failures
Adopt a fail-fast mindset by preparing to discuss any setbacks you've encountered in your engineering journey. Share what you learned from those experiences and how they shaped your approach to making quick, informed decisions in a fast-paced environment.
