Sr Staff Stability, Control and Aerodynamics Engineer

At Wisk, we're transforming the future of urban mobility through safe, all-electric, autonomous flight. We are a passionate team working together toward a sustainable future, solving high-impact problems that have never been solved before. By delivering everyday flight for everyone, we're making it possible to spend less time getting there and more time being there. If you want to be part of shaping the future of mobility, then read on!

We are looking for a Sr Staff Stability & Control, Aerodynamics and Aircraft Performance Engineer to join our team. The goal of this role at Wisk is to bring experience, skill and capability to the flight physics team working on the Wisk Gen 6 aircraft team that is bringing a commercial autonomous air taxi to the market.

This is a hybrid work opportunity. At Wisk, this means working onsite at our Mountain View HQ or Montreal office 3 days per week with flexibility for the remainder of the days. 

As part of the Gen 6 aircraft team organization you will be a Senior Staff Engineer in the Stability and Control, Performance, Aerodynamics and Flight Simulation group, for a novel type of aircraft development targeting the autonomous UAM market.  

A successful candidate will have direct hands-on experience developing and building type certified aircraft, from initial concept through flight testing and certification, with the technical breadth necessary to interface with all engineering functions such as Systems & Safety Engineering, Hardware, Software, Manufacturing, Test, and Certification. In this role, the candidate must be a highly motivated, self-starting individual with a broad set of skills and never afraid of facing complex technical challenges.

Role Responsibilities:

• Create, improve and run in-house tools to perform linear and non-linear stability and control analysis, estimate critical performance parameters, such as range, stall speeds, optimized climb profiles, aerodynamics characteristics, and validate our tools with test data from wind tunnels, subscale aircraft and flight test. 

• Develop, integrate and validate physics-based performance models that include mathematical models of various rotorcraft components (tilt rotors, vertical rotors, batteries, fuselage) to fully represent all aspects of flight and critical systems of the Gen 6 aircraft to support flight test and certification activities.

• Participate in wind-tunnel and flight testing and analyze data to support performance and aerodynamics database validation

• Suggest, develop, and improve tools & processes for performance analysis and optimization of flight mission planning for an autonomous aircraft

• Author and/or review methodology documents, white papers and/or cert plans to support certification with FAR Part 21/23/27/91/135 requirements

• Engage proactively with engineering leaders to ensure alignment, and clear communication of solutions and issues.

• You will take part in supporting the development of Gen 6 aircraft by ensuring that the aircraft is able to meet product, certification and safety requirements.

Requirements:

• 12 years of industry experience in aircraft and/or rotorcraft development, with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years experience; or equivalent experience.

• Understanding of rotorcraft and multirotor aircraft aerodynamics and vehicle stability in all modes of flight.

• Experience with commercial aviation development and Certification as well as rapid development of novel, complex systems.

• Familiarity with aerodynamic data base creation and tools such as CFD, wind tunnel testing, data processing, and flight matching.

• Experience with aerodynamic design and analysis of aircraft to meet performance goals

• Experience creating vehicle simulation models that support certification compliance showing. 

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• You are excited to learn about the team, and leverage the hard learned lessons of the past 14+ years of eVTOL development here at Wisk.

Desired:

• Experience with multiple objective optimization and trade-off studies

• Aeromechanics and/or rotor dynamics experience

• Familiarity with Matlab/Simulink, Python and C/C++ 

• Familiarity with Jira, Git, or other software product lifecycle management tools

• Been part of a program, or programs, working on a clean sheet novel aircraft from concept design to certification. 

• Electric engine performance analysis and compliance showing

• Previous FAA Part 23/25 and/or Part 27 certification program experience preferred

• FAA Flight Analyst Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for Part 23/25/27 

• Knowledge of rotorcraft performance and the theories associated with propeller and rotor-driven propulsion

Compensation and Benefits:

In addition to offering a great work environment and the opportunity to be part of the team making electric autonomous flight a reality, at Wisk, we offer excellent total rewards which include a competitive base salary, annual bonus, long term incentive, 401K, health benefits and much more.  

Job Type: Full-time

Pay range the company expects to pay: $205,000 - $241,000 per year - The starting base salary within this range for this role varies based on factors such as your geographical location, and your relevant job-related experience that is consistent with a business necessity.

We are committed to fostering diversity and inclusivity, and we encourage  individuals from all backgrounds, including those from marginalized or underrepresented groups in the tech industry and aerospace, to apply for our job openings. We consider  every candidate who shares our passion for making the impossible possible, even if they may not strictly meet all preferred requirements. We firmly believe that a diverse range of perspectives can profoundly influence both our product and our company culture.

Wisk HQ is located in Mountain View just a couple of hundred feet from Shoreline Lake and its surrounding walking/jogging trails. We offer a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and life insurance, 9 off Fridays for full-time employees throughout the year, flexible vacation time off, 11 company holidays, a 401(k) plan with 50% company matching vested immediately, commuter assistance, and education assistance. And on top of all that, we also offer a variety of perks such as free catered lunches, flight lessons, wellness allowances, snacks, drinks, employee referral bonus, charitable giving match, patent bonus program, and more.

To all recruitment agencies: Wisk Aero does not accept agency resumes. Please do not forward resumes to our jobs alias, Wisk Aero employees, or any other organization location. Wisk Aero is not responsible for any fees related to unsolicited resumes. 

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a background check. Wisk Aero provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Wisk Aero abides by applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Wisk Aero is an E-Verify employer.