Pivotal
electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft
Manager,AircraftDesign&Performance
“Manager, Aircraft Design & Performance at Pivotal. Skills: Aircraft Design, Performance Development, Sizing, Multidisciplinary Vehicle Trade Studies, Simulation, Analysis, Testing, Engineering Judgment, Performance Models, Sizing Tools, Prototype Development, Hardware Iteration, Engineering Tools, Automation Workflows. Lead aircraft-level design, sizing, and performance development for electric aircraft platforms. Own multidisciplinary vehicle trade studies including weight, aerodynamics, propul”
What You'll Achieve.
shape the direction of future aircraft platforms; support design decisions and program planning; drive integrated vehicle development; maintain deep individual technical contribution; bias toward execution and rapid iteration; establish scalable engineering workflows, analysis methods, and development processes
Industry & Context.
multidisciplinary vehicle trade studies; engineering judgment; technical decision-making; technical risks; practical engineering solutions; systems thinker capable of connecting aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, controls, and operations into a cohesive vehicle design
willing to work onsite at our HQ office in Palo Alto, CA
What They're Looking For.
Must Have
Master’s degree in aerospace or mechanical engineering or equivalent field, Experience with eVTOL, UAV, or unconventional aircraft configurations, Experience developing conceptual and preliminary aircraft sizing tools, Experience with CFD and aerospace analysis tools such as STAR-CCM+, XFLR5/FLOW5, OpenVSP, Simulia/3DEXPERIENCE, MATLAB, or Python, Flight test, prototype development, or rapid hardware iteration experience, Experience building internal engineering tools and automation workflows, Experience balancing technical performance with manufacturing and operational constraints, Applicants must be eligible for employment in the United States and willing to work onsite at our HQ office in Palo Alto, CA
Nice to Have
Demonstrated experience in early aircraft development/sizing, Comfortable owning major aircraft-level decisions with incomplete information, Naturally gravitates toward first-principles engineering and rapid iteration, systems thinker capable of connecting aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, controls, and operations into a cohesive vehicle design, Excited by ambiguity, rapid development cycles, and building unconventional aircraft with small, high-output teams
What You'll Do.
Lead aircraft-level design
and performance development for electric aircraft platforms
Own multidisciplinary vehicle trade studies including weight
propulsion integration
and operational capability
Drive rapid concept iteration and down-selection using simulation
and engineering judgment
Develop and maintain aircraft performance models and sizing tools to support design decisions and program planning
Define high-level aircraft architecture and guide configuration development from early concept through prototype and flight test
Work cross-functionally with propulsion
and flight test teams to drive integrated vehicle development
Lead technical decision-making under aggressive timelines and evolving program requirements
Support wind tunnel testing
and correlation of simulation models to real-world data
Mentor and grow a small multidisciplinary engineering team while maintaining deep individual technical contribution
Identify technical risks early and drive practical engineering solutions with a bias toward execution and rapid iteration
Help establish scalable engineering workflows
and development processes appropriate for a fast-moving aerospace startup
How You'll Work.
Team & Collaboration
works closely with propulsion, structures, flight controls, manufacturing, test, and executive leadership teams; Work cross-functionally with propulsion, structures, electrical, software, controls, manufacturing, and flight test teams to drive integrated vehicle development; Mentor and grow a small multidisciplinary engineering team
Process & Methodology
program planning, aggressive timelines, evolving program requirements
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