Emerging Missions Flight Dynamics Engineer

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospaces strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The divisionleveragesa broad array of engineering disciplines against a diverse and 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.

As a corecomponentof EED the Emerging Missions Flight Dynamics (EMFD) Department provides flight mechanicsexpertisefor the cislunar domain multi-objectivetraveling salesman trajectory sequence generation facility location optimization and trans-atmospheric flight design for missileshyperglidevehicles and reentry vehicles. Relevant skills for a Senior Member of Technical Staff within EMFD include orbital mechanics astrodynamics trajectory design and optimization and atmospheric flight modeling and simulation. The selected candidate will provideexpertisefor a wide range of customer flight mechanics needs supporting analysis research and development requests. The work will require candidates to provide deep technical solutions while also collaborating with engineering partners tofacilitateintegrated solutions for our customers hardest problems. Customers will include defense intelligence and civil and commercial organizations.

Work Model

• The selected candidate willbe requiredto work full time on-site in El Segundo CA Chantilly VA or Albuquerque NM

WhatYoullbe Doing:

Primary Support

• 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 contestedmissionsapplications 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

• Utilizingoptimalcontrol 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 andmaintaina healthy and modern internal tool base

• Leveraging external tools like ASSET GPOPS-II SNOPT POST OTIS Copernicus GMAT EMTG etc. whereappropriate toaugment internally developed capabilities

Additionalinter-department partnership collaborations opportunities:

• Maneuver and orbit designselection and optimization for missions that support Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO)objectiveswith complex operational constraints

• Trajectory design and optimization for launch vehicles and spacecraft for missionsoperatingin LEO MEO HEO GEO and other earth-centric regimes

What You Need to be Successful

MinimumRequirements for Senior Member of Technical Staff Flight Mechanics:

• MS or PhD degreedegreefrom an accredited college/university programin engineering mathematics physics computer science or related field

• Threeor more years of related industry/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-objectiveoptimization trajectory simulation and performance optimization of spacecraft missiles and reentry vehicles

• Proficiencywith one or more of the following programming languages/tools: C C Python Fortran MATLAB JavaScript

• Effective written and verbal communication skills

• Willing to travel domestically to customer and contractor facilities (approx. 10%)

• This position requires the ability to obtain andmaintaina security clearance which is issued by the US government. U.S citizenship isto obtain a security clearance.

• Transcripts required

How You Can Stand Out

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these:

• Five or more years of related industry/work experience

• 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 directlyinterfacing withsenior government customers.

• Experience in spacecraft or launch operations.

• Current SSBI with an active TS/SCI clearance.

• Current SAP access.