Flight Dynamics Engineer

Flight Dynamics Engineer

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%).
• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the US government. U.S citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Cislunar and exploration-class orbital mechanics analysis and trajectory optimization.
• Hypersonics, missiles, interceptors, and reentry vehicle trajectory design and 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.
• Analysis of vehicles with chemical and/or electric propulsion.
• 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.

Preferred Qualifications

• 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).
• 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.
• Advanced algorithm development skills to include parallel processing and scripting experience.
• 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.
• Current SSBI with an active TS/SCI clearance.
• Current SAP access.