Senior / Principal Forward Deployed Engineer, Applications (CFD)

Published October 24, 2026 · Updated October 25, 2026

Pay not postedRemote, hiring in CaliforniaToday

Leads CFD and engineering analysis for complex customer engagements, shaping simulation strategy and technical decisions from modeling assumptions through validation.

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View posting at luminarycloud

At a glance

Posted base pay

Not posted

Median $190K

Typical senior FDE payMiddle 50% of 1,803 postings$160K–$220K

The work

Builds what the customer runs

Balance

Mostly building
Mixed
Mostly pre-sales or support

Project stages

Pre-sales (not covered)
Proof of concept (not covered)
Implementation
Operations (not covered)

Travel Required, amount not stated

Coding: Writes production code
Builds for: External customers
Level: Senior
Role: Individual contributor

What they ask for

Tools

Ansys Fluent
Simcenter STAR-CCM+
PowerFLOW
OpenFOAM
Python
HPC
DoE
Physics AI

Visa

No visa sponsorship

Less common in FDE jobs

Fully remote28%
Individual contributor or manager: Individual contributor49%

Share of US FDE postings that state each fact.

The job description from luminarycloud

Full Time | Eligible for Hybrid, Remote

JOIN THE REVOLUTION IN ENGINEERING INNOVATION

Engineering simulation is fundamental to how the world's most advanced products are designed, but many of the hardest problems remain constrained by compute, time, and traditional workflows. Luminary is changing that. Our Physics AI platform brings together high-fidelity engineering simulation, AI, and modern computing to help engineering teams explore more designs, make better decisions, and solve problems that were previously out of reach.

We're looking for a Senior or Principal Forward Deployed Engineer to work closely with customers on their most important engineering challenges.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Forward Deployed Engineer on Luminary's Applications Engineering team, you will lead the CFD and engineering analysis for complex customer engagements. You will work closely with customer engineers to understand the design problem, make sound engineering decisions, and define the right simulation strategy. You will build and validate high-quality datasets, partner with AI/ML teams to develop Physics AI models grounded in high-fidelity simulation, and ensure the resulting solution supports the customer's engineering decisions and workflow. You will collaborate with delivery leads, Product, and Engineering throughout the engagement.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

Own technical decisions around physics, modeling assumptions, fidelity, and validation.
Design and execute CFD campaigns at scale on the Luminary platform.
Automate simulation workflows from geometry through results.
Partner with AI/ML scientists to train, evaluate, and validate Physics AI models.
Work with Data & Platform engineers to deploy models into customer engineering workflows.
Test new platform capabilities and build reusable tools that improve technical delivery.
Travel to customer sites for deployment, training, and technical reviews.

WHAT YOU BRING

PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field, or an MS with significant relevant industry experience.
Deep hands-on industrial CFD experience, including meshing, solver setup, and simulation validation.
Experience with Ansys Fluent, Simcenter STAR-CCM+, PowerFLOW, OpenFOAM, or similar CFD tools.
Experience running large parametric or DoE studies on HPC or cloud environments.
Strong Python skills for engineering automation, APIs, and SDK workflows.
Experience working directly with customers or cross-functional engineering teams.

Eligibility: Limited to U.S. Persons. This position is not eligible for visa sponsorship now or in the future.

View posting at luminarycloud