Aerodynamics Project Leader

For almost 50 years, Williams has been at the forefront of one of the fastest sports on the planet, being one of the top three most successful teams in history competing in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. With an almost unrivalled heritage of engineering and racing F1 cars and unforgettable eras that demonstrate it is a force to be reckoned with, the British squad boasts 16 F1 World Championship titles to its name.

Since its foundation in 1977 by the eminent, late Sir Frank Williams and engineering pioneer Sir Patrick Head, the team has won nine Constructors’ Championships, in association with Cosworth, Honda and Renault. Its roll call of drivers is legendary, with its seven Drivers’ Championship trophies being lifted by true icons of the sport: Alan Jones, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Alain Prost, Damon Hill and Jacques Villeneuve. The team has made history before and is out to make it again with a long-term mission to evolve and return to the front of the grid.

About the Role

We are looking for a driven Aerodynamics Project Leader to work closely with our Principal Aerodynamicists and take the technical lead of a team of talented engineers. You will own aerodynamic development projects from first concept through to track validation, turning a clear performance objective into a released, manufactured and correlated solution on the car.

This is a hands-on technical leadership role. You will set the direction for your project team, make the calls on where to focus limited CFD and wind tunnel resource, and keep a development programme moving at race-team pace while protecting quality and learning. Just as importantly, you will develop and empower the engineers around you, creating an environment where ideas are challenged openly and the best solution wins.

Working within the constraints of the FIA regulations and the cost cap, you will need to be as smart with your resource as you are with your geometry. Every run, every tunnel hour and every release has to count!

Responsibilities

You will take a project from the first spark of an idea to a part running on the car, turning performance targets into clear objectives and building plans that balance CFD, wind tunnel time, design office capacity and manufacturing lead times against the race calendar. Spotting risks early and dealing with them before they become problems will be second nature.

Day to day, you will:

• Lead concept generation, challenge assumptions about how the car works, and direct CFD exploration with evidence-based decisions on what to pursue and what to park
• Plan and run test sessions in our onsite wind tunnel, analyse results with rigour, and adjust course when the data tells a different story
• Get hands-on in CAD where needed to develop and refine aerodynamic surfaces
• Drive projects through release, working closely with the Design Office, Structures, Composites and Manufacturing teams to protect aerodynamic intent within weight, stiffness, cost and build constraints
• Support the introduction of new parts at the track alongside Vehicle Performance and trackside engineers

Just as importantly, you will bring the project team with you. You will communicate results and theories clearly in a way that encourages challenge, coach and empower less experienced engineers through delegation and honest feedback, and lead post-project reviews so we learn from what worked and what did not. You will also help shape a culture of continuous improvement in our tools, methods and processes.

About You

You are an experienced F1 aerodynamicist who has taken technical projects the whole way from concept to track. You understand the fundamentals well enough to explain the flow physics behind a result, not just the number, and you are comfortable making and defending a decision when the data is incomplete and the clock is ticking.

You will bring:

• Multiple years’ experience in F1 aerodynamic development
• Demonstrable experience leading projects through the full aero development lifecycle, from concept to track
• Familiarity with CFD techniques, including non-standard models
• Experience planning and running wind tunnel programmes, and interpreting CFD, tunnel and track correlation
• A strong working understanding of the ATR and cost cap framework
• Proficiency in CAD for aerodynamic surfaces (preferably NX)
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a proven ability to develop less experienced team members

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Atlassian Williams F1 Team is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and inclusion. We are happy to discuss reasonable job adjustments.