Mission Analysis Engineer – Aerospace Systems

(All levels considered)

 (TS/SCI Clearance)

Herndon, VA

@Orchard is retained by a top geospatial technology company in their search for a Mission Analysis Engineer who wants to solve complex, real-world challenges across space, cyber, maritime, and other mission domains -- evaluating everything from individual sensor performance to integrated system and mission-level capabilities

In this role, you’ll use modeling, simulation, data analysis, and engineering judgment to answer consequential questions: How should a future mission be designed? Which architecture performs best? Where are the limitations? What happens when the mission, environment, or technology changes?

You’ll build and run simulations of satellites, aircraft, sensors, and operational scenarios; explore alternative concepts and system designs; and turn large volumes of simulation data into insights that engineers, customers, and senior decision-makers can act on.

This is an opportunity to do more than execute existing models. You’ll have room to build new capabilities, improve the way we simulate complex missions, develop tools and automation, and influence the technical direction of future space and airborne systems.

If you enjoy digging into difficult technical problems, experimenting with different approaches, and seeing your analysis inform real engineering and mission decisions, we’d like to hear from you.

Your Role/Responsibilities:

As a Mission Analysis Engineer, you will:

• Model complex aerospace missions. Develop, modify, and run high-fidelity simulations of satellites, aircraft, sensors, and ISR systems to understand mission and system performance.
• Explore the trades that matter. Compare architectures, technologies, operating concepts, and system configurations to identify performance drivers, limitations, risks, and opportunities.
• Turn mission concepts into simulations. Build realistic operational scenarios that capture customer objectives, mission constraints, environments, and system behavior.
• Build better ways to solve problems. Create tools, scripts, automation, visualizations, and new simulation capabilities that make analyses faster, deeper, and more repeatable.
• Find the story in the data. Work with large simulation datasets to uncover trends, explain system behavior, and translate technical results into meaningful conclusions.
• Ensure the analysis holds up. Evaluate model assumptions, inputs, outputs, and analytical methods through thoughtful QA/QC and engineering judgment.
• Make your analysis matter. Communicate findings, trade-offs, and recommendations to engineers, program leaders, senior decision-makers, and customers.

Minimum Requirements:

·        This position requires US citizenship and an active TS/SCI clearance, or TS with SCI eligibility, as mandatory for consideration.

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college/university, in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or Computer Science. 
• Willing to work on-site in a classified facility.

Desired / Preferred Qualifications:

You don’t need to check every box below to be a strong candidate. We’re interested in engineers with relevant experience, strong technical curiosity, and the ability to learn new domains and tools.

• Advanced degree in engineering, physics, applied mathematics, computer science, or a related technical field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• A minimum of 2 years industry experience. (Opportunities for Junior to Principal level)
• Knowledge or experience in one or more aerospace domains such as astrodynamics, remote sensing, spacecraft or aircraft systems, sensor performance, aerospace operations, mission engineering, or complex systems integration.
• Experience developing, implementing, or evaluating mathematical models, algorithms, simulations, or other quantitative engineering methods.
• Experience using Python or similar programming/scripting tools to automate analyses, manipulate data, develop engineering tools, or extend modeling and simulation capabilities.
• Ability to work through open-ended technical problems, evaluate assumptions and risks, and turn analytical results into defensible conclusions and recommendations.
• Experience working with customers or multidisciplinary teams to understand mission needs, communicate technical findings, and develop practical solutions.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to audiences ranging from fellow engineers to customers and senior decision-makers.
• A collaborative mindset, intellectual curiosity, and enthusiasm for solving challenging problems that have a direct impact on the mission.

Especially Valuable Experience:

While not required, experience in any of the following areas would be particularly valuable:

• Space or airborne modeling and simulation
• ISR, remote sensing, or sensor phenomenology
• Mission-, system-, or architecture-level trade studies
• Analysis of large simulation or engineering datasets
• Development of engineering analysis tools, automation, or visualization capabilities
• Supporting technical studies or analyses for government customers

Established in 2010, @Orchard has an exceptional reputation, providing talent acquisition solutions to time-sensitive, talent scarcity issues to deliver better talent management ROI.  Our specialty lies in the critical area of program talent acquisition and resource management, not in one narrow skillset, but across many areas of technical and functional delivery. To learn more about our other exciting opportunities, visit our Jobs Page at www.atorchard.com.