Computational Fluid Dynamics Engineer - 6M Contract Inside IR35

Job Purpose

The Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Engineer delivers high‑fidelity aerodynamic, thermal, and flow‑simulation expertise to support the design, optimisation, and certification of complex aerospace systems. This includes components within propulsion systems, electrical power equipment cooling architectures, nacelles, and R&T programmes.
The role ensures simulation-driven decision‑making that reduces development cycles, improves product performance, and strengthens Safran’s competitive and technological advantage.

Requirements

Technical Delivery

• Develop, run, and validate CFD models for internal and external flows, heat transfer, combustion, turbomachinery, and multi‑physics scenarios appropriate to Safran product lines.

• Build high‑quality meshes and geometries using industry-standard pre‑processing tools.
• Apply steady-state (RANS) and unsteady (URANS/LES) methods depending on project needs and accuracy requirements.
• Perform sensitivity analyses, mesh refinement studies, verification & validation activities, and quantitative uncertainty assessments.
• Interpret simulation results and translate complex findings into clear, actionable engineering recommendations.

Product & Programme Support

• Support concept development, detailed design phases, design changes, and troubleshooting activities for propulsion systems, power generation equipment, nacelles, and other relevant systems.
• Collaborate closely with mechanical, thermal, electrical, and systems engineering teams across Safran to integrate CFD insights into broader design decisions.
• Provide technical input to R&T initiatives, innovation programmes, and digitalisation activities.

Tools, Methods & Governance

• Develop and maintain CFD workflows, automation scripts, and best‑practice guidelines.
• Contribute to tool benchmarking, HPC optimisation, and method development initiatives.
• Ensure all modelling activities comply with Safran processes, safety requirements, quality standards, and applicable certification regulations (e.g., EASA/FAA where relevant).

Stakeholder Engagement

• Present simulation results to internal and external stakeholders, including design authorities, programme managers, and customer engineering teams.
• Support bids, proposals, and technical justifications with evidence-based CFD insights.

Person Specification

Essential Experience & Technical Expertise

• Strong, demonstrable experience in applied CFD within aerospace or a closely related engineering domain.
• Proficiency in commercial and/or open-source software such as ANSYS Fluent, Star‑CCM+, OpenFOAM, or CFX.
• Expertise in:
• Turbulence modelling
• Conjugate heat transfer (CHT)
• Compressible flow
• Aerothermal analysis
• Rotating machinery simulation (where relevant)
• Skilled in pre- and post-processing tools (e.g., ANSYS Meshing, Pointwise, ICEM CFD, Tecplot, ParaView).
• Strong programming/scripting ability (Python, MATLAB, C++ or similar).
• Understanding of aerospace system behaviours, certification constraints, and design-for-reliability principles.

Education & Qualifications

• Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or similar.
• MSc or PhD preferred for R&T-focused or advanced simulation roles.

Core Competencies

• Ability to simplify complex data and communicate clearly to multidisciplinary teams and senior stakeholders.
• High analytical rigour, with a methodical approach to model setup, validation, and interpretation.
• Strong problem-solving mindset with the ability to handle ambiguity and derive insight from incomplete information.
• Proactive ownership of tasks, deadlines, and quality standards.
• Capability to balance innovation with pragmatic engineering judgement.

Desirable Attributes

• Experience in turbomachinery, electric motor cooling, or thermal management of power electronics.
• Familiarity with optimisation (adjoint, gradient-based or genetic algorithms).
• Exposure to HPC environments and parallel computing.
• Knowledge of sustainability-driven airframe and propulsion technologies.

Benefits

• Early finish on a Friday - 0800-1645 Mon-Thurs, 0800-1200 Friday
• Onsite canteen