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Cfd Simulation Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Valar Atomics

Staff CFD Analysis Engineer

Torrance, CA · On-site

The Team As part of the Engineering organization, Models & Simulations develops advanced analytical ... The Role The Senior CFD Analysis Engineer owns delivery of analysis and synthesis of results in the ...

Valar Atomics

Staff CFD Analysis Engineer

Torrance, CA · On-site

The Team As part of the Engineering organization, Models & Simulations develops advanced analytical ... The Role The Senior CFD Analysis Engineer owns delivery of analysis and synthesis of results in the ...

Cspeed

Thermal Simulation Engineer

Palo Alto, CA

... Engineering, Physics, or equivalent practical background. * 6+ years of thermal simulation for ... Expert proficiency in a commercial thermal or CFD tool for electronics: Ansys Icepak or Fluent ...

Inversion

Staff Aerothermal CFD Engineer

Vista, CA · On-site

$161K - $221K/yr

Successful candidates will have a background in DSMC simulation or familiarity with multi-physics ... Engineering, or an equivalent field. * Experience modifying CFD solvers or coupling them for multi ...

Cspeed

Thermal Simulation Engineer

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

... Engineering, Physics, or equivalent practical background. * 6+ years of thermal simulation for ... Expert proficiency in a commercial thermal or CFD tool for electronics: Ansys Icepak or Fluent ...

NextDeavor Inc.

Electromechanical Engineer II

Irvine, CA · On-site

$43.99 - $54.99/hr

Electromechanical Engineer II Full-time Irvine, CA Exclusive confidential search -- details shared ... Perform electromagnetic, thermal, and mechanical analysis using FEA/CFD simulation tools * Create ...

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All JobsCfd Simulation Engineer JobsCfd Simulation Engineer Jobs in California

Cfd Simulation Engineer information

See California salary details

$10.9K

$91.8K

$130.3K

How much do cfd simulation engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for cfd simulation engineer in California is $91,796.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $84,400.00 and $108,600.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges faced by CFD simulation engineers during project workflows?

CFD Simulation Engineers often encounter challenges such as managing complex geometries and ensuring mesh quality, which are crucial for accurate results. Balancing simulation accuracy with computational resources and run times can also be demanding, especially when deadlines are tight. Collaboration with design, testing, and manufacturing teams is essential to validate simulation results and integrate feedback, requiring strong communication and problem-solving skills. Staying updated with the latest software and modeling techniques is also important to optimize project outcomes.

What is a CFD simulation engineer?

CFD Simulation Engineers are specialists who use Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software to analyze and predict fluid flow, heat transfer, and related phenomena in various engineering systems. They create digital models to simulate how gases and liquids move and interact with surfaces, helping to optimize designs in industries like automotive, aerospace, energy, and manufacturing. Their work supports product development, troubleshooting, and performance improvement by providing insights that would be difficult or costly to obtain through physical testing alone.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a CFD simulation engineer?

To thrive as a CFD Simulation Engineer, you need a solid background in fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and numerical methods, usually supported by an engineering degree. Proficiency in CFD software such as ANSYS Fluent, OpenFOAM, or STAR-CCM+, along with experience in programming languages like Python or MATLAB, is typically required. Strong analytical thinking, problem-solving ability, and effective communication skills help you interpret results and collaborate with multidisciplinary teams. These skills are vital for accurately modeling complex flows, optimizing designs, and delivering reliable engineering solutions.

What is the difference between Cfd Simulation Engineer vs Mechanical Design Engineer?

AspectCfd Simulation EngineerMechanical Design Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or Master's in Mechanical, Aerospace, or related engineering; proficiency in CFD softwareBachelor's or Master's in Mechanical or Industrial Engineering; CAD software skills
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, engineering firms, aerospace, automotive industriesProduct development, manufacturing, automotive, aerospace industries
Employer & Industry UsageDesigning fluid flow systems, optimizing aerodynamics, thermal analysisCreating mechanical components, assemblies, and product prototypes

The main difference is that a Cfd Simulation Engineer specializes in computational fluid dynamics to analyze fluid flow and heat transfer, while a Mechanical Design Engineer focuses on designing mechanical components and systems. Both roles require strong engineering fundamentals, but their focus areas and software tools differ.

What are the most commonly searched types of Cfd Simulation Engineer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Cfd Simulation Engineer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Cfd Simulation Engineer jobs in California?

For Cfd Simulation Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Cfd Simulation Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Cfd Simulation Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Cfd Simulation Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Cfd Simulation Engineer job openings:

Cfd Simulation Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Cfd Simulation Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 67% Full Time, and 33% Contract. Highlights an 67% In-person, and 33% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $91,796 per year, or $44.1 per hour.

Software Engineer, Engineering Simulation & Automation (Vehicle Engineering)

SpaceX

Hawthorne, CA • On-site

$125K - $145K/yr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 27 days ago

SpaceX rating

8.8

Company rating: 8.8 out of 10

Based on 147 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

14th of 72 rated aerospace companies

Job description

SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of enabling human life on Mars.
SOFTWARE ENGINEER, ENGINEERING SIMULATION AND AUTOMATION (VEHICLE ENGINEERING)
Be a member of the AI for Vehicle Engineering team, focusing on developing automated simulation tools and pipelines to accelerate engineering for our launch vehicles and spacecraft and generate high-quality training datasets for surrogate models at scale.
Our team builds AI systems that accelerate engineering analysis, simulation, development, testing, avionics design, flight data review, logistics, and mission operations. Your work will directly support the world's largest communication and AI satellite constellations, accelerate rapid reuse of the Falcon launch vehicle, and contribute to the development of the world's largest rocket capable of sending humans to Mars.
In this role, you will design, develop, and maintain scalable simulation automation pipelines that create the large, diverse, and well-curated datasets required to train production-grade AI surrogate models. You will also work closely with domain experts to unblock engineering and analysis bottlenecks at SpaceX via simulation automation. You will leverage commercial, in-house, and open source simulation tools across FEA, CFD, thermal, and structural domains, writing custom scripts against their APIs to automate geometry parameterization, meshing, solving, post-processing, and data extraction at scale. You will also create general automation tools to accelerate day-to-day engineering workflows. You will work closely with ML surrogate modeling engineers, domain experts, and hardware engineers to ensure generated data and tools optimally support AI surrogates and broader engineering productivity.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
  • Develop and maintain automated simulation pipelines that generate training datasets for AI surrogate models at scale
  • Partner with domain engineers to identify bottlenecks and build custom tools that improve productivity and reduce manual effort
  • Create and optimize scripts using APIs such as ANSA Python API, Star-CCM+ Java/Python macros, OpenTD, Abaqus, or equivalent tools
  • Build parametric workflows for geometry variation, automated meshing, batch simulation execution, and result extraction
  • Orchestrate large-scale simulation campaigns on HPC clusters using job schedulers and workflow managers
  • Collaborate closely with ML engineers to understand dataset requirements and iteratively improve data quality and diversity
  • Implement data management, cleaning, metadata tagging, and versioned storage of simulation results
  • Develop general automation tools and scripts to accelerate engineering workflows across simulation, analysis, design, and testing tasks
  • Deep dive into engineering physics domains to ensure simulation setups are accurate, robust, and efficient for surrogate training
  • Integrate simulation tools with version control, CI/CD pipelines, and monitoring systems for reproducible datasets
  • Stay current with advances in simulation automation, meshing technology, and best practices for ML-ready datasets

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
  • Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, data science, math, physics, or a related technical discipline; OR 4+ years of professional experience building software or simulation pipelines in lieu of a degree
  • 1+ years of software development experience
  • 1+ years of hands-on experience with at least one simulation domain (CFD, FEA, thermal, structural analysis, etc.)

PREFERRED SKILLS:
  • Experience with ANSA, Star-CCM+, OpenFOAM, Abaqus, OpenTD, OpenFOAM, CalculiX or similar commercial/in-house/open source simulation tools
  • Strong proficiency scripting simulation APIs (especially ANSA Python API or Star-CCM+ automation)
  • Demonstrated success building automated workflows that run thousands of simulations for dataset generation
  • Understanding of Design of Experiments (DOE) and sampling techniques such as Latin Hypercube (LHS)
  • Experience working in HPC environments with job schedulers such as Slurm or equivalent
  • Familiarity with surrogate modeling concepts and the data requirements of neural operators, FNOs, physics-informed ML, or similar models
  • Familiarity with deep learning and preparing data for ML workflows
  • Proficiency with Python for scientific computing and automation
  • Experience developing on Linux systems
  • Strong understanding of version control, testing, continuous integration, build, deployment, and monitoring
  • Good understanding of statistics, numerical methods, and core engineering simulation techniques

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
  • Ability to work extended hours and weekends as necessary

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
Pay Range:
AI Software Engineer/Level I: $125,000.00 - $145,000.00/per year
AI Software Engineer/Level II: $145,000.00 - $175,000.00/per year
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of your total rewards package at SpaceX. You may also be eligible for long-term incentives, in the form of company stock, stock options, or long-term cash awards, as well as potential discretionary bonuses and the ability to purchase additional stock at a discount through an Employee Stock Purchase Plan. You will also receive access to comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short and long-term disability insurance, life insurance, paid parental leave, and various other discounts and perks. You may also accrue 3 weeks of paid vacation and will be eligible for 10 or more paid holidays per year. Employees accrue paid sick leave pursuant to Company policy which satisfies or exceeds the accrual, carryover, and use requirements of the law.
ITAR REQUIREMENTS:
    Learn more about the ITAR here.

SpaceX is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with SpaceX is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.
Applicants wishing to view a copy of SpaceX's Affirmative Action Plan for veterans and individuals with disabilities, or applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application/interview process should reach out to

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About SpaceX

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Industry

Aerospace product and parts manufacturing, data services, guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing and satellite telecommunications

Company size

1,001 - 5,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Hawthorne, CA, US

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