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Poseidon Aerospace is building full-size autonomous cargo aircraft capable of carrying two-ton payloads over 1,000+ nautical miles, reimagining air freight logistics for remote and contested operations. The company is headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with additional locations in Washington DC, Oregon, and Maine.
As a Propulsion Engineer, you will lead the propulsion team's development from initial assembly and bring-up through a fully calibrated, instrumented powerplant ready for flight. This is a hands-on role centered on engine assembly, design, tuning, and qualification via testing.
Key responsibilities include:
- Calibrate engines across the full aviation operating envelope (fueling, ignition, idle stability, transient response, knock, and closed-loop strategy) on a standalone ECU, with propeller governor tuning to performance and reliability targets
- Run the engine test program on an instrumented test stand: break-in, bring-up, performance mapping, and endurance/qualification runs to prove each engine flight-ready
- Bring up integrated engines from assembled hardware through verification: outfit assemblies, prepare systems, diagnose faults, and close out anomalies
- Operate test instrumentation and data acquisition systems; specify and collect required data to drive propulsion system improvements and validation
- Distill, document, and present data to validate requirements, limits, and drive design changes
- Collaborate cross-functionally with other teams to refine and improve propulsion systems
- Refine and develop break-in, operating, inspection, and maintenance procedures for test stand runs, ground runs, and flight tests
You will work hands-on in a test environment, running engines on test stands, developing test procedures, and proving they meet performance and durability targets.
Requirements:
- Hands-on experience tuning, calibrating, and bringing up EFI piston engine systems (aviation, motorsport, engine-swap, or standalone-ECU backgrounds strongly relevant)
- Experience qualifying or validating engines on a test cell, dyno, or test stand; ideally through ground and flight testing
- Applied tuning of standalone/aftermarket ECUs: fuel and ignition mapping, idle and transient control, drive-by-wire, knock, and sensor/DTC strategy
- Strong conceptual and hands-on knowledge of 4-stroke piston engines
- Engine test-stand or dyno experience: building or running an instrumented cell, including thrust/torque measurement, cooling and oil-system instrumentation, and DAQ
- Working knowledge of aircraft propeller and constant-speed governor systems
- Practical knowledge of aviation and automotive fuels (AvGas, MoGas) and their effect on calibration
- Sharp diagnostic, setup, and troubleshooting skills
- Familiarity with controlled assembly and maintenance standards: FOD prevention, tool management, and shop safety
- Comfortable working at the bench and on the aircraft with strong, self-directed troubleshooting instincts
- Strong collaboration skills to communicate verification findings and design feedback clearly across disciplines
