Combustion Design Engineer

Combustion Design Engineer

Location: Indianapolis or New York

About FTAI Aviation Ltd.

FTAI owns and maintains commercial jet engines with a focus on CFM56 and V2500 engines. FTAI's propriety portfolio of products, including the Module Factory and a joint venture to manufacture engine PMA, enables it to provide cost savings and flexibility to our airline, lessor, and maintenance, repair, and operations customer base. Additionally, FTAI owns and leases jet aircraft which often facilitates the acquisition of engines at attractive prices. FTAI invests in aviation assets and aerospace products that generate strong and stable cash flows with the potential for earnings growth and asset appreciation.

FTAI operates globally and has offices in New York, Miami, Montréal, Singapore, Dubai, United Kingdom, and Ireland.

Job Overview

This role is responsible for the design, analysis, and development of advanced combustion systems for gas turbine applications. The engineer leads the creation and optimization of combustor hardware—including injectors, liners, and ignition components—using a combination of thermodynamic analysis, CFD collaboration, material evaluation, and test data interpretation. Working across multidisciplinary teams, this role ensures combustion systems meet performance, emissions, safety, and regulatory requirements while driving continuous improvement throughout the design and validation process.

Responsibilities:

• Design and develop combustion chambers, fuel injectors, igniters, and liner assemblies
• Perform combustion analysis including thermodynamic cycle calculations and heat release modeling
• Collaborate with CFD engineers to simulate and optimize combustor flow fields and flame structure
• Evaluate material selections for high-temperature structural and thermal performance
• Support combustion rig and engine tests; analyze emissions, stability, and efficiency data
• Drive design improvements based on test results and analytical predictions
• Ensure combustion system designs meet safety, regulatory, and customer requirements
• Produce design documentation, technical reports, and specifications

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Mechanical, Aerospace, or Chemical Engineering
• 5+ years of experience in combustion system design or development
• Strong foundation in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer
• Experience with combustion CFD tools (ANSYS Fluent, CONVERGE, or equivalent)
• Understanding of emissions regulations and lean combustion strategies
• Proficiency in CAD tools and engineering analysis software

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with gas turbine combustors, rocket combustion chambers, or industrial burners
• Knowledge of combustion instability (thermoacoustic) and mitigation techniques
• Familiarity with high-temperature materials and thermal barrier coatings
• Experience designing low emissions liner systems and noise abatement technologies for such systems
• Experience with selective catalytic reduction or other emissions treatment technologies

Equal Opportunity Employment Statement:

Our company is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate against any employee or applicant based on race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy), physical or mental disability, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.