The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The divisionleveragesa 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.

As a corecomponentof EED, the Earth Orbit Flight Dynamics Department (EOFDD) providesflight mechanicsexpertisefor launch vehiclesand space vehicles.Relevant skillsinclude orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, trajectory design and optimization, and atmospheric flight modeling and simulation.We are looking for aSenior Member of the Technical StafforEngineering Specialist to join the EOFDD team.The selected candidate willprovideexpertisefor a wide range of customer flight mechanics needs,supporting both analysis and 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 includedefense, intelligence, and civil and commercialorganizations. 

Work Model

• This position will be a hybrid work model based in El Segundo, CA, Colorado Springs, CO, Chantilly, VA, or Albuquerque, NM, with the expectation that the selected candidate works at least4days a week onsite, as the business needs allow.

WhatYou’llBe Doing 

Primary Support

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

• Astrodynamics and orbital mechanics analysis including orbit propagation and maneuver design and optimization for orbit transfer,station keeping, graveyard, disposal, and reentry events 

• Evaluating contestedmissionsapplications for space systems to understand threat performance, assess vulnerabilities, and improve system resiliency 

• Develop space warfighting tactics aligned to the Chief of Space Operations (CSO)and Commander of US SPACECOMpriorities by providing technical, operational, and risk assessments

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

• Developing Concepts of Operations (CONOPS), exploring Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs), and incorporating operational constraints into the design and maturation of 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 capabilitiesand modernize existing capabilitiesto service customer requests as stand-alone services and/or ready-to-integrate submodules

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

• Communicating effectively with customers and management throughtimelyreporting of technical issues, analysis reports, and recommendations

Additionalinter-department partnership collaborations opportunities:

• 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

• Integrated, multi-disciplinary RPO system simulations

What You Need to be Successful 

MinimumRequirements for theSeniorMember of the Technical Staff - Flight Mechanics position:

• Bachelor’s degree in aeronautical/astronautical engineering, physics or applied mathematics, or related disciplines

• Five or moreyearsof experience in flight mechanics, astrodynamics, maneuver optimization, trajectory optimization, launch vehicle trajectory design, hypersonic vehicle modeling, or general trajectory modeling and simulation

• Experience in space-relevantTTPs development, operational planning, or battle management

• Proficiencyin one or more of the following programming languages and environments: C, C++, Fortran, Python, Linux,Java,and/or MATLAB

• The ability tooperateindependently, often in the presence of ambiguity, and still deliver high-quality, innovative, and specialized end products to a range of customers 

• Willing to traveldomesticallyapprox.10%

• The ability to obtain andmaintainaUS security clearance isrequired. U.S citizenship isrequiredto obtain a security clearance. 

In addition to the above, theminimumrequirements for theEngineering Specialist- FlightMechanics positioninclude:

• Eightor moreyears of experience of relevant technical workor PhD

• Demonstrated technical excellence in the relevantjobcapabilitiesand functions

• The ability tooperateindependently, often in the presence of ambiguity, and still deliver high quality, relevant end products to a range of customers 

• The ability to build and perform on multi-disciplinary teamsto deliver integrated analysis products

How You Can Stand Out 

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

• Advanced degree inaeronautical/astronautical engineering, physics or applied mathematics, or related disciplines is strongly desired

• Graduatelevelcourse work,researchand/or experience in one or more of the following areas:orbitalmechanics,astrodynamics, ascent trajectory modeling, hypersonic flight simulation,optimalcontrol, flight mechanics,and/ortrajectory modeling and simulation

• Experienceusing orbuilding analysis software to combine numerical methods, orbital or flight mechanics, and optimization approaches for launch vehicles,missiles, interceptors,spacecraft, or reentry vehicles(hypersonics)

• Familiarity with National Security Space Enterprise operational communities and experience with translating warfighter needs into analysis frameworks.

• 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 

• Current TS/SCIand/orTS/SAP Access