Space Orbital Warfare Modeler

Description

Are you passionate about applying orbital mechanics, space systems engineering, and advanced modeling to solve some of the most challenging problems in contested space operations?

Do you thrive on transforming complex orbital warfare scenarios into rigorous simulations and actionable insights that inform critical national security decisions?

If so, we're looking for someone like you to join our team at APL!

We are seeking a highly skilled Orbital Warfare Modeler to join a small, high-impact team developing advanced modeling and simulation capabilities for space orbital warfare scenarios. In this role, you will lead system‑level trade space analyses. You will develop and run models based on physics for orbital mechanics and vehicle systems. You will deliver insights that inform important decisions in contested space environments.

You will collaborate closely with engineers, clearly communicate complex technical concepts to stakeholders, and independently drive high‑impact analyses in a fast‑paced, mission‑focused setting.

• Plan and complete large‑scale system trade space analyses, performing trade studies and optimizing performance across competing constraints to derive meaningful conclusions.
• Develop, run, and analyze physics‑based simulations of orbital and dynamic vehicle systems, including 6
  
  DoF models and closed‑loop control scenarios.
• Conduct orbital maneuver design, trajectory analysis, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), relative motion modeling, and space domain awareness (SDA) assessments.
• Work with orbital data sets (TLEs, ephemerides), perform orbit determination and conjunction assessment, and account for uncertainty in tracking and orbital predictions.
• Document technical work, compose presentations, and convey results clearly to multiple audiences.
• Collaborate with a small team of engineers, including frequent group discussions and iterative problem‑solving.

• A BS degree in a related technical field
• Familiarity with satellite orbits and spaceflight dynamics.
• 7+ years of demonstrated ability to plan and carry out extensive system evaluation studies and extract actionable insights.
• Ability to think at the system level, including conducting comparative analyses and improving performance amid competing constraints.
• Ability to clearly explain complex technical ideas, assumptions, and trade‑offs to both technical and non‑technical stakeholders.
• Ability to independently identify, frame, and execute on high‑impact problems.
• Ability and willingness to collaborate within a tight‑knit engineering group, attend regular team meetings, document work, develop presentations, and communicate results (written and verbal).
• Hold an active TS/SCI security clearance and can ultimately obtain a TS/SCI+poly level clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

• Experience in weapon system engineering or hardware‑in‑the‑loop systems.
• Experience developing or using physics‑based simulations of vehicle dynamic systems, including 6
  
  DoF simulations and modeling dynamic systems (e.g., closed‑loop control).
• Proficiency with MATLAB and/or Python; familiarity with C++; and experience working in Linux environments and high‑performance computing (HPC) clusters.
• Experience with system modeling, simulation, or large‑scale trade studies.
• Knowledge of EO/IR sensor systems and working understanding of EO/IR signature modeling.
• Familiarity with orbital maneuver design, trajectory analysis, rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), relative motion modeling, and spacecraft guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) principles.
• Familiarity with space domain awareness (SDA), space object tracking, orbit determination, conjunction assessment, orbital data sets (e.g., TLEs, ephemerides), and the impact of tracking uncertainty on orbital predictions.

The Johns…