Senior Mechanical Engineer, Fan & Compressor

About the Role

Whisper Aero is seeking skilled and creative turbomachinery mechanical designer to help us continue to refine and improve our products. This candidate will be responsible for creating designs that are safe and meet performance, cost, & reliability targets. They will own the mechanical design of their components and subsystems from concept through production including 3D models, 2D drawings, BOM management, tolerance stacks, material selection, and manufacturing. They will use rapid prototyping tools and testing to prove the viability of their designs. 

The successful candidate will be someone who is comfortable working both independently and within a team in a fast paced environment with a lot of ambiguity. They will be eager to ask questions and build new insights into how things work. 

What You'll Do

• Own the design and manufacturing strategy of mechanical components and subsystems for electric propulsors, electric aircraft, and ground support equipment
• Create engineering drawings, models, and assemblies in CAD and maintain the BOM
• Develop prototypes and mechanical assemblies, tooling, and ground support equipment
• Develop analysis tools and best practices for the team to follow based on your experience and subject matter expertise
• Host design reviews and incorporate design feedback from other teams including mechanical, structures, and aerodynamics
• Mentor other members of the Mechanical Engineering team 

Basic Qualifications

• U.S. Person status is required, as this position may access export controlled data
• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical or aerospace engineering (or equivalent) and at least 8 years demonstrated experience designing turbomachinery with an emphasis on fan or compressor blades and vanes
• Proficiency with SOLIDWORKS or similar 3D CAD software
• Demonstrated experience drafting 2D drawings and communicating these to suppliers for quote and manufacturing
• Familiarity with GD&T (Geometric Dimensioning and Tolerancing) principles
• Strong knowledge of various airfoil manufacturing processes such as CNC machining, forging, molding, and additive manufacturing
• Expert level understanding of airfoil material selection including aluminum, titanium, and composites
• Experience with multiple airfoil attachment methods (machined blisk, welded, dovetail, pin, etc.) and has a thorough understanding of the advantages and risks of each
• Understanding of airfoil manufacturing methods and the associated tolerances
• Understanding of blade special processes such as peening, corrosion protection, and wear coatings
• Demonstrated experience designing for impact (bird, hail, FOD, etc.)
• Demonstrated experience testing fans or compressors including:
  • Modal testing and blade to blade variation
  • In operation stress determination using strain gages, tip timing, or similar methods
  • Fatigue allowables and debits
  • Blade out and containment
• Demonstrated experience reducing the iteration timeline between mechanical, stress, and aero disciplines
• Effective written and oral communication skills
• A willingness to work on tasks outside your primary job functions 

Bonus Qualifications

• Solidworks PDM
• Balancing rotating machinery
• Designing for improved erosion or sand & dust tolerance
• Designing and analyzing blade shrouds
• Understanding of how aerodynamic factors like inlet distortion and stall impact mechanical design
• Defining airfoil serviceable limits
• Designing, implementing, and testing acoustic liners
• Designing cases for blade containment
• Designing for icing conditions