At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive aerodynamic design for innovative aircraft and propellers, turning theory into practice.
- Company: Join Flyer AI, a pioneering startup in autonomous delivery drones.
- Benefits: Significant equity, competitive salary, unlimited paid time off, and immediate impact.
- Other info: Work closely with a passionate team and enjoy rapid career growth.
- Why this job: Be a founding engineer and shape the future of aviation technology.
- Qualifications: Strong background in aerodynamics, CFD, and hands-on engineering experience.
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 or R&D environment.
- Familiarity with commercial / open source UAV flight controllers and firmware.
What you’ll get:
- Significant Equity – as a founding team member, you will own a significant stake in the future we are building.
- Immediate Impact – you will be one of the first 6 employees, shaping the engineering culture from day one.
- Competitive salary – an initial stipend plus salary uplift following Q1 2026 fundraising.
- Unlimited paid time off – take what you need, when you need it.
Founding Engineer - Aerodynamics in Salisbury employer: Flyer AI
At Flyer AI, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture. As a founding engineer in aerodynamics, you will not only have the opportunity to shape the future of autonomous delivery drones but also enjoy significant equity, unlimited paid time off, and the chance to make an immediate impact within a small, passionate team. Located in Salisbury, Wiltshire, our environment encourages hands-on collaboration and rapid prototyping, ensuring that your contributions directly influence the success of our groundbreaking technology.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Founding Engineer - Aerodynamics in Salisbury
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to people in the aerodynamics field, attend industry events, and connect with potential colleagues 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 showcasing your aerodynamic designs, CFD analyses, or any relevant projects. This will give you an edge during interviews and help us see your practical experience in action.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for hands-on assessments! Since this role involves real prototypes and testing, be ready to demonstrate your problem-solving skills and engineering judgement in practical scenarios. Brush up on your first-principles reasoning and be ready to think on your feet.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in joining our team. Make sure to highlight how your values align with ours and how you can contribute to making better aircraft at Flyer AI.
We think you need these skills to ace Founding Engineer - Aerodynamics in Salisbury
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 qualified, 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 to aerodynamic analysis, CFD, or propeller design. We love seeing how your hands-on experience aligns with our needs!
Highlight Teamwork:Since we’re a small team, it’s crucial to demonstrate your ability to collaborate effectively. Share examples of how you’ve worked with others to solve complex problems or drive projects forward.
Apply Through Our Website:Make sure to submit your application through our website. It’s the best way for us to keep track of your application and ensure it gets the attention it deserves!
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, as this role demands practical design decisions based on solid theoretical understanding.
✨Showcase Your Hands-On Experience
Prepare examples of your hands-on work with prototypes or real flight data. Discuss any experiences where you correlated analysis with test results, as this will demonstrate your ability to work with imperfect data and make sound engineering judgments.
✨Emphasise Team Collaboration
This role is all about teamwork, so be ready to share instances where you collaborated closely with others. Highlight your ability to communicate effectively and how you’ve contributed to a team’s success in fast-paced environments, especially in R&D or startup settings.
✨Be Curious About Innovation
Express your curiosity about modern AI tools and coding agents. Discuss how you envision using these technologies to enhance aerodynamic design processes. This shows that you’re forward-thinking and eager to leverage new tools to drive innovation in aircraft design.
