How to hire an aerodynamics engineer

How to hire an aerodynamics engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step aerodynamics engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write an aerodynamics engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new aerodynamics engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does an aerodynamics engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The aerodynamics engineer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   An aerodynamics engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, aerodynamics engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of aerodynamics engineer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Aerodynamics Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Aerodynamics Engineer	Aerospace engineers design primarily aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles. In addition, they test prototypes to make sure that they function according to design.	$33-68
   Engineering Coordinator	An engineering coordinator organizes and oversees engineering projects. They typically perform administrative support tasks such as conducting extensive research and analysis, arranging schedules with clients, handling calls and correspondence, liaising with internal and external parties, reviewing contracts and other documentation, and managing the flow of documents and information across different teams... Show more	$19-37
   Research And Development Engineer	Research and development engineers generally execute research and tests on product ideas, develop new products, and perform redesigns. They are employed in many industries, including manufacturing, electrical, and science-based companies... Show more	$35-64

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Aerospace
   • MATLAB
   • Computational Fluid Dynamics
   • Wind Tunnel
   • Post Processing
   • CAD
   • Data Analysis
   • Cfd Analysis
   • Analysis Tools
   • FAA
   • Prototyping
   • Trade Studies
   • NASA
   • Solidworks

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
   • Finalize an approve FAA regulatory flight manual with collect data and test results.
   • Provide design guideline and MRB repairs to ensure the airworthiness of aircraft structural modifications.
   • Work in airframe and systems aircraft design, field & production support, and new product development.
   • Conduct a study on airfoils by extracting airfoil cross section geometry from Solidworks, normalize and import them to XFOIL.
   • Provide greater flexibility over a popular off the shelf visualization tool.

   More aerodynamics engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your aerodynamics engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. An aerodynamics engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, aerodynamics engineers' average salary in iowa is 36% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level aerodynamics engineers 51% less than senior-level aerodynamics engineers.
   • Certifications. An aerodynamics engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in an aerodynamics engineer's salary.

   Average aerodynamics engineer salary

   $99,629yearly

   $47.90 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level aerodynamics engineer salary

   $69,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average aerodynamics engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$124,053	$60
   2	Washington	$102,459	$49
   3	Colorado	$99,619	$48
   4	Texas	$97,526	$47
   5	Virginia	$97,394	$47
   6	Ohio	$91,275	$44
   7	Georgia	$91,232	$44
   8	Minnesota	$91,097	$44
   9	Utah	$91,011	$44
   10	Florida	$89,244	$43
   11	New York	$88,472	$43
   12	Michigan	$87,584	$42
   13	Wisconsin	$86,352	$42
   14	Kansas	$86,128	$41
   15	Connecticut	$86,122	$41
   16	North Carolina	$85,382	$41
   17	Indiana	$81,266	$39

   Average aerodynamics engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Gulfstream Aerospace	$106,956	$51.42
   2	Ad Astra	$106,291	$51.10	3
   3	ABL Space Systems	$106,194	$51.05
   4	NASCAR	$104,978	$50.47
   5	Randstad North America, Inc.	$104,357	$50.17
   6	Boeing	$103,423	$49.72	126
   7	Bell Flight	$102,827	$49.44
   8	Textron	$102,175	$49.12	27
   9	Air Products	$101,639	$48.86	1
   10	Tesla	$100,164	$48.16	45
   11	Stratolaunch	$99,619	$47.89	5
   12	General Electric	$99,615	$47.89	100
   13	Trane	$99,110	$47.65
   14	SpaceX	$97,462	$46.86	97
   15	Rolls-Royce	$96,878	$46.58	3
   16	General Motors	$96,793	$46.54	14
   17	General Dynamics	$96,158	$46.23	20
   18	Axient	$93,074	$44.75
   19	Boom Supersonic	$91,381	$43.93	4
   20	L3Harris	$91,006	$43.75	32

4. Writing an aerodynamics engineer job description

   An aerodynamics engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of an aerodynamics engineer job description:

   Aerodynamics engineer job description example

   Introduction to Shield AI
   Shield AI's mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Shield AI is a fast growing, venture-backed defense-technology company built around a team of proven executives, distinguished warfighters, and world-class AI engineers. Since 2018, Shield AI's products and people have supported operations around the world with the US Department of Defense and our allies. Most recently, we acquired Heron Systems and Martin UAV as wholly owned subsidiaries of Shield AI. Join our team and shape the future of artificially intelligent systems.
   
   Shield AI's mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Shield AI is a fast growing, venture-backed defense-technology company built around a team of proven executives, distinguished warfighters, and world-class AI engineers. Since 2018, Shield AI's products and people have supported operations around the world with the US Department of Defense and our allies. Most recently, we acquired Heron Systems and Martin UAV as wholly owned subsidiaries of Shield AI. Join our team and shape the future of artificially intelligent systems.
   
   The Flight Sciences team focuses on researching and developing state-of-the-art, high-performance vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. As an aerodynamics Engineer on this team, you'll work on an agile team grounded in first principles to push the boundaries of the state-of-the-art.
   What you will do:Design and develop new aircraft geometries and control surface shapes to meet flight efficiency requirements, with a heavy emphasis on 3D CAD and CFD tools Analyze aerodynamic performance across a large array of air vehicle designs via CAD and real-world experiments Triage issues from older generations of aircraft and effectively prioritize appropriate resolutions Collaborate with and present findings to other internal functional teams and program-based teams
   Required qualifications: BS or MS in Aerospace Engineering or related field 2+ years of professional experience related to aircraft development Experience partnering with a multidisciplinary engineering team, including mechanical, electrical, propulsion, software, and AI disciplines Solid understanding of aerodynamic fundamentals, CFD techniques, and wind tunnel testing Experience with aerodynamic tools and techniques, e.g. vortex-lattice, panel-method, etc. Experience with Pointwise or similar CFD software tools Experience with Matlab or Python for data analysis Familiarity with translating aerodynamic analyses into workable design solutions for flight vehicles Familiarity with lofting/surfacing tools in Solidworks (or equivalent CAD software tools) for generating water-tight geometries Passion for solving complex problems in a fast-moving environment Demonstrated record of working hard, strong communication skills, being a trustworthy teammate, and being kind to others
   Preferred qualifications:Experience with aeroacoustics analysis Experience with low-speed airfoil design Experience with wind tunnel testing Experience with aeroelasticity and flutter analysis
   #LI-BH1
   
   If you're interested in being part of our team, apply now!
   
   Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
   
   To conform to U.S. Government regulations, applicant must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find aerodynamics engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any aerodynamics engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level aerodynamics engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your aerodynamics engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit aerodynamics engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with aerodynamics engineer candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new aerodynamics engineer

   Once you've selected the best aerodynamics engineer candidate for the job, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, this letter should include details about the benefits and perks you offer the candidate. Ensuring that your offer is competitive is essential, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and you should be open to discussion. After you reach an agreement, the final step is formalizing the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new aerodynamics engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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