Senior Wargame Mentor

LOCATION: Remote from Melbourne/Orlando FL or Arlington VA/Washington DC area

JOB STATUS: Full Time

CLEARANCE: Active Top Secret

SALARY RANGE: Estimated $120,000 USD Annually*

*depending on experience, certifications, and qualifications

Astrion is seeking a casual part-time Senior Wargame Mentor to provide advisory support for the planning, execution, and assessment of a two-sided space wargames focused on Space Operational Energy, to include such things as sustained maneuver enabled by space logistics across the competition continuum.

Job Responsibilities:

The senior mentor supports and provides wargame design and play inputs, facilitates operational discussions, and helps frame solutions to challenges related to space force survivability and sustainability. The Senior Mentor also supports integration of insights from both unclassified gameplay and TS/SCI breakout sessions to ensure operational realism and meaningful analysis that informs future concepts and capabilities.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS

• Bachelor's degree in relevant discipline (or equivalent military experience); advanced degree preferred.
• Minimum 20 years of experience in military operations, national security, space operations, wargaming, or a related field.
• Demonstrated expertise in U.S. Space Force, U.S. Space Command, Joint, or Combatant Command planning and operations.
• Experience planning, facilitating, mentoring, or participating in operational-level wargames, exercises, or operational experimentation.
• Subject matter expertise in space operations, space technologies including such areas as sustained maneuver, space logistics, force survivability, resilience, contested space operations and wargaming.
• Knowledge of Joint Planning Process (JPP), Joint Doctrine, DoW wargaming methodologies, and force design or capability development.
• Demonstrated ability to mentor senior military and civilian leaders, facilitate strategic discussions, challenge assumptions, and ensure operational realism while maintaining wargame objectives.
• Strong analytical, critical thinking, and communication skills, with the ability to synthesize complex operational issues into actionable observations and recommendations.
• Active Top-Secret clearance with SCI eligibility (or current TS/SCI)(waiverable depending on experience level).
• Ability to travel as required in support of planning, execution, and post-event analysis.
• Candidate must be located in, or able to support work from, the Washington, DC metropolitan area or the Melbourne/Orlando, Florida area.
• Currently enrolled in Junior or Senior year or recently completed a degree in Computer Graphics, Animation, Game Design, or a related field.
• Basic experience in Blender and/or 3DS Max for modeling, texturing, and simulation.
• Understanding of PBR workflow, UV mapping, and material creation.
• Knowledge of rigging and animation is a plus.
• Familiarity with rendering engines like Cycles, V-Ray, Arnold, or Unreal Engine.
• Exposure to game engines (Unity, Unreal Engine) is a plus.
• Strong artistic and technical skills, including lighting and composition.
• Willingness to learn and collaborate with a team.
• US Citizenship required

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS / SKILLS 

• • Experience in procedural modeling and node-based workflows.
  • Understanding of scripting (Python for Blender, MAXScript for 3DS Max) is a plus.
  • Familiarity with VR/AR applications and real-time rendering.

 RESPONSIBILITIES

• Assist in designing, modeling, and texturing 3D assets such as characters, environments, hardware, and vehicles.
• Support the creation of simulations for physics-based effects such as fluid, cloth, fire, and destruction.
• Help optimize 3D models for performance without compromising visual fidelity.
• Collaborate with designers, artists, and developers to integrate assets into projects.
• Render and present realistic previews of 3D models and animations.
• Maintain and refine asset libraries for future use.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends, tools, and techniques.