--- title: 'GNC Engineer at Tiberius Aerospace Inc.' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/gnc-engineer-tiberius-aerospace-inc-orange-county-1qec0s9xtgkx' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-25' --- # GNC Engineer at Tiberius Aerospace Inc. - **Company:** Tiberius Aerospace Inc. - **Location:** Orange County - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-14 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-25 - **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/tiberius/dedd6252-e1bd-459f-98f1-3a3904bc680e ## Job description CFD Engineer — Aerodynamics & Propulsion High-Fidelity Simulation | Internal & External Flows | Inlet, Combustor & Nozzle Analysis Location Orange County, California — Hybrid; remote considered for the right candidate Employment Type Full-time Department Engineering — Aerodynamics & Propulsion ## Compensation 100,000–170,000 base salary, plus equity Eligibility U.S. citizenship required ## About Tiberius Aerospace Tiberius Aerospace is a cutting-edge aerospace and defense company developing advanced, mission-critical technologies for government and private-sector customers. We focus on high-performance aerospace systems, secure engineering solutions, and complex hardware built for demanding operational environments. As we scale quickly, we are looking for engineers who operate with ownership, urgency, technical discipline, and sound judgment in a high-stakes environment. ## The Role Tiberius Aerospace is seeking a hands-on CFD Engineer to support aerodynamic and propulsion analysis across advanced air vehicle and munition programs. You will own the day-to-day simulation workflow: creating meshes, setting up and solving high-fidelity CFD cases, post-processing results, and translating findings into clear design guidance. Your work will span internal flows—including inlets, combustors, and nozzles—as well as external aerodynamics across subsonic through high-supersonic flight regimes. This is an opportunity for an engineer who wants to build deep computational expertise while contributing directly to real flight hardware, propulsion integration, and next-generation precision-strike systems. ## What You’ll Do CFD Analysis & Simulation Execution - Set up, solve, and post-process high-fidelity CFD simulations for: - Internal flows, including inlets, combustors, and nozzles - External aerodynamic flows across the flight envelope - Support inlet and nozzle flow-path design studies using RANS and transient CFD methods, as appropriate to the design phase. - Develop computational meshes for internal and external flow domains, balancing mesh fidelity, turnaround time, and computational cost. - Configure and run RANS simulations and, where needed, transient methods such as DES or DDES. - Support reacting-flow CFD analysis, including fuel injection, atomization, and combustion modeling under the direction of propulsion engineering leadership. - Use viscous-coupled panel methods and method-of-characteristics tools for rapid conceptual studies ahead of high-fidelity CFD confirmation. - Generate aerodynamic and propulsion databases for vehicle-performance modeling, trajectory simulation, and flight dynamics analysis. - Extract and communicate performance metrics including pressure recovery, inlet distortion, thrust and drag bookkeeping, and aerodynamic coefficients. - Execute large-scale parametric studies on commercial or government high-performance computing platforms. - Manage CFD job submission, monitoring, parallel scaling, data organization, and troubleshooting of convergence or solver-stability issues. Validation, Data Products & Documentation - Correlate CFD predictions against wind tunnel, direct-connect, ground-test, and flight-test data. - Help identify, investigate, and document sources of discrepancy between analysis and test results. - Provide pre-test CFD predictions to support test planning, test-point selection, and success criteria. - Package CFD-derived data products in formats that are useful to downstream vehicle-performance, trajectory, and flight-controls teams. - Maintain rigorous, reproducible documentation for each major analysis campaign, including: - Mesh-generation procedures - Boundary conditions - Solver configuration and settings - Convergence criteria - Validation and correlation basis - Post-processing methodology Cross-Functional Collaboration - Work closely with Aerodynamics, Propulsion, Flight Dynamics & Controls, Test, and Manufacturing teams. - Translate design questions into well-posed CFD studies and translate simulation results into practical design recommendations. - Participate in technical and program design reviews, providing CFD-based support for aerodynamic and propulsion decisions. - Coordinate CFD study scope, priority, and turnaround requirements against program milestones. - Partner with computing-infrastructure support on HPC access, software licensing, and computational-resource allocation. ## What You’ll Bring - B.S. or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related discipline. - 2–5 years of CFD experience, including relevant graduate research, internships, or professional engineering work on air vehicle, propulsion, or munition programs. - Hands-on experience with at least one major CFD solver, such as: - ANSYS Fluent - STAR-CCM+ - FUN3D - Kestrel - CFD++ - Experience with meshing tools and mesh-generation strategies for internal and external aerodynamic flow domains. - Strong foundation in compressible aerodynamics and propulsion flow physics from subsonic through high-supersonic regimes. - Proficiency in CFD post-processing, data reduction, visualization, and automation. - Ability to communicate technical results clearly, including assumptions, uncertainty, and limitations. - U.S. citizenship and eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance. ## Preferred Qualifications - Internal-flow CFD experience involving air-breathing propulsion systems, inlets, combustors, or nozzles. - Experience with reacting-flow, combustion, fuel-injection, or atomization modeling. - Familiarity with LES, DES, DDES, or other transient high-fidelity approaches for operability and distortion analysis. - Experience running CFD on commercial or DoD HPC systems, including job scheduling and parallel-performance scaling. - Experience correlating CFD predictions with wind tunnel, ground-test, direct-connect, or flight-test data. - Experience supporting high-dynamic, high-g, or gun-launched flight environments. - Active security clearance or demonstrated ability to obtain one. What Success Looks Like You are comfortable in the details of a simulation: mesh quality, boundary conditions, turbulence modeling, convergence behavior, and solver stability. You know a CFD result is only valuable when it is technically sound, clearly documented, and delivered in a form the next engineer can use. You bring strong fundamentals, intellectual honesty, and the judgment to flag a result when it does not look right. You are eager to deepen your expertise in propulsion integration and flight-vehicle aerodynamics while taking on increasing ownership of analysis campaigns. ## Compensation & Benefits Tiberius Aerospace offers: - Base salary of 100,000–170,000, commensurate with experience - Equity participation - Comprehensive health benefits - 401(k) - The opportunity to work on advanced, mission-critical aerospace hardware with direct technical impact Growth Opportunity As Tiberius scales through Series A and into full-rate development, this engineer will take on progressively greater responsibility—from independently leading CFD studies to growing into a senior aerodynamics or propulsion engineering role. ## Equal Opportunity Employer Tiberius Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to maintaining a workplace free from discrimination and harassment. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, medical condition, genetic information, military or veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other status protected by applicable law. Applicants who require a reasonable accommodation during the application process may contact kburchstead@tiberius.com. Tiberius Aerospace participates in E-Verify. ## About Tiberius Aerospace Inc. ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Tiberius Aerospace is a modern defense technology company developing advanced weapons systems—including supersonic ramjet munitions, guided munitions, and AI-enabled lethality—for the UK, US, and allied nations under a Defense-as-a-Service (DaaS) model. - **Entity Type**: Private (Seed stage; $4.5M total funding) - **Headquarters**: London, United Kingdom (with significant operations in Newport Beach, CA, USA and Tucson, AZ, USA) - **Founded**: 2021 - **Founders**: Chad Steelberg (Founder), Andy Baynes (Co-founder, Chief Strategy Officer), Michael Martin (Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer) ## Core Business - **Primary industry/industries**: Defense and Space Manufacturing, Aerospace, National Security - **Target customers**: Government and military customers (US, UK, and allied nations); B2G (Business-to-Government) focus - **Mission or purpose statement**: "To serve our nations with Strength, Honor, and Purpose - forging the systems that defend freedom and shape the future of defense." ## Products & Services - **SCEPTRE**: A flagship program focused on guided munitions and advanced missiles, designed for precision and scalability. - **GRAIL**: An AI-enabled lethality and autonomous platform program, involving software products for next-generation defense systems. - **LAB**: Tiberius's continuous innovation engine that separates R&D from manufacturing, enabling rapid iteration and sovereign scalability. - **DAAS (Defense-as-a-Service)**: The company's core operating model—a radically different approach that decouples R&D from production to allow faster adaptation, cost-effective lethality, and continuous evolution of systems. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available - **Key Metric**: $4.5M in total funding (Seed Round, October 2025) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: 4 investors participated in the Seed round (names not publicly listed); key partnerships with US and UK allied governments. - **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew **366.7% year-over-year** to 21 employees; actively hiring across multiple engineering and operations roles; distributed workforce across the US and UK; flagship programs (SCEPTRE, GRAIL) are operational and scaling. ## Competitive Advantages - **Defense-as-a-Service (DaaS) model**: A unique approach that separates R&D from manufacturing, allowing for rapid iteration, sovereign scalability, and continuous innovation—a stark contrast to traditional prime defense contractors. - **Speed and adaptability**: Designed for a new era of conflict where speed and cost-effective lethality are critical; the company's ethos is to "adapt faster than emerging threats." - **AI and software-first mindset**: Leadership and talent come from companies where rapid iteration, software, and AI were the norm; this mindset is applied to hardware and defense systems, creating continuously learning and evolving platforms. - **Talent acquisition from top defense primes**: Key hires from Raytheon (6 employees), NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and other defense tech companies, bringing deep domain expertise. ## Strategic Focus - **Current priorities**: Scaling the SCEPTRE and GRAIL programs; expanding sovereign manufacturing capabilities for the UK and US; building a continuously learning ecosystem that connects engineers, manufacturers, operators, and governments. - **Direction for growth**: Global expansion with allied nations; deepening AI and autonomous capabilities; moving from seed-stage to production and deployment at scale. ## Why Work Here - **Culture**: A mission-driven environment focused on "difficult problems" with real-world impact at global scale. The company emphasizes that "software can transform hardware" and is building a new model for defense. - **Remote/Hybrid policy**: Offers remote, hybrid, and on-site work options depending on the role. Many positions are fully remote; engineering roles (e.g., Test Engineer, GNC Engineer) in Tucson, AZ are on-site. - **Notable perks**: - **Equity**: Stock ownership in the company - **Medical, Dental & Vision**: 100% employer-paid for employee and/or family - **Life Insurance**: 100% employer-paid, 2x salary up to $1 million - **401(k)**: Both standard and Roth options available - **Unlimited PTO**: At manager's discretion - **Paid Parental Leave**: 2 weeks - **Sick Leave**: 80 hours annually - **Flexible vacation and hybrid/remote schedules** - **Engineering culture**: Focus on GNC (Guidance, Navigation, and Control), embedded systems, flight performance, CFD, and AI; the team is described as "redefining not just what gets built, but how defense itself is built." ## Sources 1. [tiberius.com - About Us](https://www.tiberius.com/about-us) 2. [tiberius.com - Join Us](https://www.tiberius.com/join-us) 3. [linkedin.com - Company Profile](https://linkedin.com/company/tiberius-aerospace) 4. [builtin.com - Company Profile](https://builtin.com/company/tiberius-aerospace-inc) 5. 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