Flight Sciences - IPT Head

Job Description & Skill Requirement: Key Responsibilities 1. IPT & Program Leadership • Lead the Flight Sciences IPT, ensuring alignment with overall aircraft development program objectives. • Own technical delivery, schedule, cost, and quality for aerodynamics and loads domain. • Coordinate across Structures, Flight Controls, Propulsion, and Avionics teams. • Act as the primary interface with customers and internal stakeholders. 2. Aerodynamic Design & Analysis • Lead aerodynamic design and optimization of aircraft components including wings, fuselage, empennage, and nacelles. • Oversee CFD simulations, wind tunnel data correlation, drag reduction, and performance improvement initiatives. • Conduct performance analysis (range, climb, cruise efficiency) and high-lift systems assessment for take-off and landing performance. 3. Aero-Loads Development • Define and generate aero-loads across the flight envelope, including gust loads, maneuver loads, and ground-air loads interactions. • Ensure proper integration with structural design and sizing teams. • Develop certification load cases, loads envelopes, and critical conditions. 4. Flight Dynamics & Dynamic Behavior • Lead flight dynamics modeling and simulation, including stability and control analysis and handling qualities evaluation. • Evaluate aircraft response to disturbances, gusts, turbulence, and dynamic behavior. • Collaborate with Flight Control teams on control law development and aircraft response tuning. 5. Integration & Validation • Ensure integration of aerodynamics, loads, and dynamic behavior with overall aircraft design. • Support wind tunnel testing, ground testing, validation, and flight test campaigns. • Validate simulation models against test data. 6. Certification & Compliance • Ensure compliance with FAA, EASA, and DGCA certification requirements (CS/FAR 23/25/27 as applicable). • Support certification deliverables including loads reports, stability and control reports, flight test plans, and analysis reports. • Participate in PDR, CDR, and certification audits. 7. Risk & Performance Management • Identify and mitigate aerodynamic risks, loads exceedance risks, and stability and handling concerns. • Ensure performance targets for fuel efficiency, payload-range capability, and flight envelope compliance are achieved. 8. Stakeholder & Customer Management • Act as technical focal point for the flight sciences domain. • Present aerodynamic performance, loads data, and dynamic analysis results. • Support proposal development, RFQs, effort estimation, and planning. Required Qualifications Education • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or Aeronautical Engineering. Experience • 12-18+ years in the aerospace domain. • Strong experience in aerodynamics, aero-loads, and flight dynamics. • Experience in aircraft NPD programs is mandatory. • Proven experience leading IPTs or cross-functional teams. Technical Skills Core Expertise • Aerodynamics using CFD tools such as ANSYS Fluent and STAR-CCM+. • Aero-loads generation tools and methodologies. • Flight dynamics, stability and control analysis, and handling qualities. Tools & Methods • MATLAB/Simulink. • Flight simulation tools. • Wind tunnel data analysis. • MBSE tools such as Cameo and Rhapsody (preferred). Standards & Knowledge • CS/FAR 23/25 certification standards. • Understanding of aeroelasticity, flutter analysis, and gust response modeling. Leadership & Soft Skills • Strong technical leadership and decision-making capability. • Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills. • Experience working in onsite-offshore delivery models. • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills. Qualification: • Bachelor's / Master's in: Aerospace Engineering /Electronics & Communication/ Avionics / Electrical Engineering