Performance Engineer

General Job Summary

The Performance Engineer is a technical generalist in propulsion system thermodynamics, turbomachinery performance, and aerodynamic analysis, providing system-level insight into propulsion system behavior across all major gas-path components of the engine. This role supports propulsion system performance analysis and validation by collecting, formatting, analyzing, and reporting test performance data across development, acceptance, and qualification programs.

Essential Job Functions

• Support engine and system testing by collecting and organizing performance data from test events
• Support test planning and instrumentation definition, including channel selection, units, and sampling considerations
• Verify test configurations, metadata, and facility conditions are correctly captured
• Format raw test data into structured datasets suitable for analysis and reporting
• Ensure data integrity, traceability, and configuration alignment
• Analyze test data to assess engine and system performance against expectations
• Apply thermodynamic and aerodynamic analysis to interpret performance trends
• Identify deltas, anomalies, and performance sensitivities across major gas-path components
• Support comparison of test results to analytical predictions and historical baselines
• Afford for facility, installation, and airframe effects in performance interpretation
• Apply turbomachinery and aerodynamic analysis to diagnose performance issues
• Support design updates and trade studies for performance improvement
• Develop and maintain engine thermodynamic cycle models for internal engineering use and customer delivery
• Define performance metrics, calculations, and efficiencies used for analysis
• Account for facility, installation, and airframe effects in performance interpretation
• Support correlation of analytical models to test data under direction of the Senior Performance Engineer
• Afford for refinement of assumptions, boundary conditions, and model inputs based on test outcomes
• Support issue support and root cause analysis
• Support investigation of performance anomalies and shortfalls
• Afford analytical root cause efforts
• Quantify impacts of design changes, process variation, or test conditions on performance results
• Support verification of corrective actions through follow-on analysis
• Partner with Test Engineering to understand test objectives and instrumentation needs
• Work with Mechanical Design and Manufacturing to interpret performance impacts of hardware and processes
• Interact directly with customers to provide technical guidance on engine modeling, operation, performance capability, and airframe installation considerations
• Ensure performance findings are fed back into Engineering, Test, Manufacturing, and Program teams
• Maintain configuration control of performance datasets, analysis files, and reports
• Ensure traceability between test data, configurations, and reported results
• Support integration of performance data into PLM, test databases, and QMS as required
• Ensure performance documentation is audit-ready and customer-ready
• Follow established performance analysis standards and methods
• Support continuous improvement of data collection, analysis, and reporting workflows
• Incorporate lessons learned into analysis practices, templates, and modeling approaches

Supervisory Responsibility

No direct supervisory responsibility

Experience and Skills

• Strong understanding of thermodynamics, turbomachinery, and propulsion system performance
• Strong analytical and data-handling skills
• Ability to collect, clean, and analyze complex test datasets
• Proficiency in Excel (data manipulation, plotting, calculations)
• Ability to interpret engineering data and technical documentation
• Strong attention to detail and data accuracy
• Clear written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to manage confidential and export-controlled information (ITAR)

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Experience with propulsion systems, gas turbines, or complex aerothermal systems
• Experience with scripting and compiled programming languages such as C, C++, python, SciPy/NumPy
• Theoretical or practical background in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
• Experience building and validating engine cycle models
• Experience working in AS9100-regulated environments

Education and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering
• 2–5 years of experience in performance analysis, test engineering, or data analysis roles