Aptera Motors

Aerodynamicist

Carlsbad, CA · Full-time

Sponsorship not specifiedDetected 20 days ago

SolidWorksCATIAANSYSCFDThermal Analysis

About the role

Aptera has already done the hard part: designing one of the most aerodynamically efficient vehicles ever built for public roads.
Your job is to make sure it stays that way - through production, iteration, and every engineering decision that touches airflow.
This is a highly collaborative, detail-oriented role.

Own aerodynamic integrity of the production vehicle.
Review and approve (or flag) panel gaps, fit tolerances, surface changes, and design modifications before they ship, every millimeter matters.
Support engineering leads across body, chassis, thermal, and powertrain teams with aerodynamic trade-off analysis: drag vs. cooling, frontal area vs. cabin space, downforce vs. efficiency.
Drive continuous improvement - identify opportunities to reduce drag further or improve stability with each product revision, keeping Aptera ahead of its own benchmarks.
Get your hands dirty - instrument the vehicle for aerodynamic measurement, apply clay modifications to test surface changes, run tuft visualization, and drive the vehicle yourself to collect data when needed.

Proven you can think rigorously about aerodynamics in a resource-constrained, high stakes environment.
If you've stayed up until 2am arguing about a spoiler lip angle, you're an ideal candidate.
Skilled to set up a simulation, but more importantly, you know when not to trust it.

Competitive racing or solar vehicle program experience.
Familiarity with automotive surface modeling (CATIA, NX, SolidWorks).
Experience with pressure tap instrumentation, wake surveys, or flow visualization techniques.
Wind tunnel experience - academic or commercial - including instrumentation setup and data reduction.
Comfort with clay modeling and surface modification for rapid shape iteration.
Valid driver's license and genuine comfort behind the wheel of a test vehicle.
Team Structure Individual contributor
collaborate with other teams and individuals, as necessary Required Experience Practical aerodynamic analysis experience: CFD, physical testing, or both.

Aptera Motors is dedicated to building a future where every journey is powered by the sun.
We specialize in creating solar electric vehicles that revolutionize the way we travel, providing sustainable and efficient transportation solutions.
Company Culture is built on transparency, ethical treatment of one another, a bias for action, and leading by example.
Title Carlsbad, California | Engineering | Full-time

This listing is sourced directly from Aptera Motors's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.