Flight Physics & Performance Engineer

About the role

Destinus is looking for a Flight Physics & Performance Engineer to support the development, implementation and validation of high-fidelity simulation environments for missile system performance analysis. You will design and maintain 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) simulation frameworks, implement flight physics and guidance models, and make sure the tools are robust, scalable and aligned with system requirements. The role works closely with multidisciplinary teams to enable accurate performance predictions and support system design.

Key responsibilities

• Develop, maintain and extend 6-DoF simulation environments for missile performance assessment, system trade studies and design validation.
• Implement and refine flight physics models, including aerodynamics, propulsion behavior, actuator dynamics, sensor models and environmental effects.
• Build and integrate simulation tools and analysis utilities supporting SIL, CIL and HIL test configurations.
• Define, decompose and manage system and simulation requirements using DOORS NG or similar systems engineering tools.
• Produce and execute test cases for requirement verification across simulation levels, and write documentation on modelling assumptions, equations of motion, validation results and verification.
• Work with GNC, Systems Engineering, Software and Flight Dynamics teams, and present simulation methodologies and model limitations in design and technical reviews.
• Support algorithm development teams with simulation environments, interfaces and validation scenarios, and improve internal simulation toolchains and workflows.

Required profile

• MSc in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Mathematics or a related field.
• Proven experience developing and managing 6-DoF simulations for aerospace or missile systems.
• Strong understanding of flight mechanics, aerodynamics, propulsion models, rigid-body dynamics and related numerical methods.
• Fluency in English is a must.

Required skills

• Hands-on simulation tool development, model integration, scenario generation and test automation.
• Coding experience preferred in Python, C/C++ or Rust.
• Experience with SIL, CIL and HIL simulations and verification.
• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink or equivalent modelling environments; MathWorks tools highly valued.
• Strong technical writing and systems engineering documentation.