ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Cfd Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Inversion

Staff Aerothermal CFD Engineer

Vista, CA · On-site

$161K - $221K/yr

Masters / PhD in Aerospace or Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent field. * Experience modifying CFD solvers or coupling them for multi-physics simulations * Experience with high temperature gas ...

Valar Atomics

CFD Analyst

Hawthorne, NV

We are a team of builders, engineers, and operators who believe nuclear energy should be fast to ... In this role, you will develop high-fidelity CFD models that support reactor design optimization ...

Altus LLC

CFD Propulsion Research Engineer

Aberdeen, MD · On-site

$100K - $200K/yr

CFD Propulsion Research Engineer Company: Altus Engineering Location: Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD Salary: $100,000-$200,000 Position Overview: Altus Engineering is currently seeking a Computational ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsCfd Engineer Jobs

Cfd Engineer information

See salary details

$11K

$93K

$132K

How much do cfd engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for cfd engineer in the United States is $93,015.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $85,500.00 and $110,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Cfd Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer?

AspectCfd EngineerMechanical Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related fields; proficiency in CFD softwareBachelor's in Mechanical or Aerospace Engineering; often includes CFD knowledge
Work EnvironmentDesign firms, aerospace, automotive, energy sectors; focus on fluid dynamics simulationsManufacturing, product design, HVAC; broader engineering tasks including mechanics and thermodynamics
Industry UsagePrimarily in industries requiring fluid flow analysisWider industry application including structural and thermal systems

While both roles require a background in mechanical engineering and CFD software, Cfd Engineers specialize in fluid dynamics simulations, whereas Mechanical Engineers have a broader scope including mechanics, thermodynamics, and design. Cfd Engineers focus more on computational analysis, while Mechanical Engineers may handle a wider range of engineering tasks.

What Is a CFD Engineer?

As a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) engineer, your responsibilities are to use CFD formulas to predict fluid flows and heat transfers. You use software applications such as OpenFOAM or Gerris to compute the finite element method and the finite volume method, which use partial differential equations to create two- or three-dimensional models and simulations. Your job duties include analyzing problems, building models, and proposing solutions. Your experience makes you a valuable part of research and development teams in the mechanical and chemical engineering industries as well as the automobile, aerospace, and aeronautical industries.

What are CFD Engineers?

CFD Engineers are professionals who specialize in Computational Fluid Dynamics, a field that uses numerical analysis and algorithms to solve and analyze problems involving fluid flows. They use specialized software to simulate how liquids and gases behave under various conditions, which helps in designing and optimizing products like aircraft, cars, and HVAC systems. CFD Engineers typically have a background in engineering, physics, or mathematics and work in industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, and manufacturing. Their work is essential for improving performance, safety, and efficiency in systems involving fluid movement.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a CFD Engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a CFD Engineer, you need a strong background in fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and numerical methods, usually supported by a degree in mechanical, aerospace, or chemical engineering. Expertise in CFD software such as ANSYS Fluent, OpenFOAM, or STAR-CCM+, along with programming skills in Python or MATLAB, is typically required. Attention to detail, problem-solving ability, and clear communication help you interpret complex data and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. These skills are crucial for delivering accurate simulations, optimizing designs, and supporting engineering decisions in industries where fluid behavior is critical.

What are some common challenges CFD Engineers face when working on complex simulation projects?

CFD Engineers often encounter challenges related to balancing simulation accuracy with computational resources and time constraints. Handling large and intricate geometries can lead to long computation times and may require advanced meshing strategies or high-performance computing. Additionally, accurately modeling boundary conditions and physical phenomena, especially in multiphase or turbulent flows, demands a deep understanding of fluid dynamics and software capabilities. Effective collaboration with design, testing, and product teams is also crucial to validate simulation results and implement practical solutions.
More about Cfd Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Cfd Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Cfd Engineer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Cfd Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Cfd Engineer jobs are:
What states have the most Cfd Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Cfd Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Cfd Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Cfd Engineer jobs are:
What are popular job titles related to Cfd Engineer jobs? For Cfd Engineer jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:
Cfd Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Cfd Engineer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 75% Full Time, 2% Part Time, 1% Contract, and 22% Nights. Highlights an 93% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $93,015 per year, or $44.7 per hour.

CFD Engineer - AI Task Designer Remote (OpenFOAM)

Alignerr

Remote

$80 - $110/hr

Contractor

Posted 28 days ago

Job description

CFD Engineer - AI Task Designer
About the Role
What if your expertise in computational fluid dynamics could teach AI to reason about aerodynamics, boundary conditions, and flow physics - without you ever having to write a single line of machine-learning code?
We're looking for CFD engineers and aerodynamicists to design small, well-defined engineering challenges that train and evaluate AI models on real fluid-dynamics reasoning. Each task you create has three parts: a clear problem statement, a deterministic checker that scores the model's answer, and a trusted reference solution that proves the task is solvable. Think of it as writing bite-sized CFD exam problems - grounded in physics, unambiguous, and automatically gradable.
No reinforcement-learning or AI research background is required. What matters is your hands-on simulation experience and your ability to translate domain knowledge into precise, solvable tasks.
  • Organization
    : Alignerr
  • Type
    : Hourly Contract
  • Location
    : Remote
  • Commitment
    : 10-40 hours/week

What You'll Do
  • Design compact, self-contained CFD and aerodynamics tasks that test an AI model's engineering reasoning
  • Write clear, unambiguous problem statements covering topics such as boundary-condition selection, mesh quality assessment, flow-regime identification, and simulation setup
  • Develop deterministic scoring checkers that can automatically evaluate a model's final answer
  • Provide verified reference solutions that confirm each task is solvable and correctly scored
  • Review and iterate on tasks to ensure physical accuracy, clarity, and appropriate difficulty
  • Draw on your experience with OpenFOAM to ground tasks in real-world practice
  • Work independently and asynchronously - fully on your own schedule

Who You Are
  • Hands-on experience with OpenFOAM
  • Solid foundation in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, and heat transfer fundamentals
  • Comfortable with mesh generation, turbulence modeling, boundary-condition specification, and post-processing
  • Able to formulate engineering problems that are precise, self-contained, and objectively verifiable
  • Strong written communication skills - you can explain complex physics clearly and concisely
  • Background in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline (BS or higher preferred)
  • Self-motivated and reliable when working independently without supervision

Nice to Have
  • Experience across multiple CFD solvers or multiphysics platforms
  • Familiarity with scripting or automation (Python, Bash, MATLAB) for setting up or post-processing simulations
  • Exposure to design optimization, flow-control strategies, or adjoint methods
  • Graduate-level coursework or research in aerodynamics, propulsion, or computational methods at institutions such as IITs, IISc, or NITs
  • Previous experience writing technical assessments, exam problems, or engineering challenges
  • Interest in how large language models reason about STEM problems

Why Join Us
  • Apply your CFD expertise to cutting-edge AI research alongside leading labs - from a completely new angle
  • Fully remote and flexible - work when and where it suits you
  • Freelance autonomy with the structure of meaningful, task-based work
  • No need to retrain as a data scientist - your engineering judgment is exactly what's needed
  • Contribute directly to teaching AI models real-world physical reasoning
  • Potential for ongoing work and contract extension as new projects launch

Apply