Flight Dynamics Engineer

About the role

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The division leverages a broad array of engineering disciplines against a dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space and space-enabled capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Primary Support Hypersonics, missiles, interceptors, and reentry vehicle trajectory design and optimization
• Cislunar and exploration-class orbital mechanics analysis and trajectory optimization
• Time-dependent Traveling Salesman Problems and Facility Location Problem analysis
• Astrodynamics and orbital mechanics analysis including orbit propagation and maneuver design and optimization for orbit transfer, station keeping, graveyard, disposal, and reentry events
• Evaluating contested missions applications for space systems to understand threat performance, assess vulnerabilities, and improve system resiliency
• Developing Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), exploring Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), and incorporating operational constraints into the design and maturation of space and near-space systems
• Providing operational support for nominal launch and spacecraft deployment and transfer sequences, anomaly resolution, and on-call emerging events
• Utilizing optimal control, flight mechanics, and computer science/algorithm development skills to create new capabilities to service customer requests as stand-alone services and/or ready-to-integrate submodules
• Performing research and development and building new flight dynamics tools to cultivate and maintain a healthy and modern internal tool base
• Leveraging external tools like ASSET, GPOPS-II, SNOPT, POST, OTIS, Copernicus, GMAT, EMTG, etc. where appropriate to augment internally developed capabilities
• Additional inter-department partnership collaborations opportunities: Maneuver and orbit design, selection, and optimization for missions that support Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO) objectives with complex operational constraints
• Trajectory design and optimization for launch vehicles and spacecraft for missions operating in LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO, and other earth-centric regimes

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited program in Engineering, Science, Mathematics, or related technical discipline
• At least two years of relevant professional, technical work experience
• Experience in one or more of the following subjects: space mission analysis and design, advanced astrodynamics, algorithm design, software development, or mathematical modeling, multi-objective optimization, trajectory simulation and performance optimization of spacecraft, missiles, and reentry vehicles
• Proficiency with one or more of the following programming languages/tools: C, C++, Python, Fortran, MATLAB
• Effective written and verbal communication skills
• Willing to travel domestically to customer and contractor facilities (approx. 10%)

Qualifications

• Minimum Requirements for Member of Technical Staff – Flight Mechanics: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited program in Engineering, Science, Mathematics, or related technical discipline. At least two years of relevant professional, technical work experience. Experience in one or more of the following subjects: space mission analysis and design, advanced astrodynamics, algorithm design, software development, or mathematical modeling, multi-objective optimization, trajectory simulation and performance optimization of spacecraft, missiles, and reentry vehicles Proficiency with one or more of the following programming languages/tools: C, C++, Python, Fortran, MATLAB. Effective written and verbal communication skills. Willing to travel domestically to customer and contractor facilities (approx. 10%)
• Five or more years of experience of relevant technical work
• Demonstrated technical excellence in the relevant job capabilities and functions
• The ability to operate independently, often in the presence of ambiguity, and still deliver high quality, relevant end products to a range of customers

Skills

• Graduate degree and/or research or professional experience in engineering, mathematics, physics, computer science, or related field
• Experience using or building analysis software to combine numerical methods, orbital or flight mechanics, and optimization approaches for launch vehicles, missiles, interceptors, spacecraft, or reentry vehicles (hypersonics)
• Advanced algorithm development skills to include parallel processing and scripting experience
• Experience with nonlinear programming (non-linear programming), direct methods, gradient-based optimization, parameter optimization, genetic algorithms, evolutionary algorithms, heuristic optimization methods, indirect methods, and/or calculus of variations
• Experience with contested space trajectory applications, military exercises, and wargaming events
• Ability to build and foster effective working relationships with customers, contractors, Federally Funded Research & Development Center (FFRDC) and other personnel
• Experience directly interfacing with senior government customers
• Experience in spacecraft or launch operations

Benefits

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans
• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation
• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options
• 401(k) Plan — Employees receive a total company-paid benefit of 8%, 10%, or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested in the plan upon hire
• Flexible spending accounts
• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions
• Relocation assistance
• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career
• Education assistance programs
• Inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect

Pay

$95,200.00 - $165,500.00

Schedule

Full-time position based in El Segundo, CA, Albuquerque, NM, Colorado Springs, CO, Chantilly, VA or Huntsville, AL, offering an in-person work model that combines 4 or more regular onsite workdays per week and remote flexibility as business needs allow.