2027 PhD Graduate - Advanced Kinetic Weapons Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Weapon Systems Engineering group is seeking a technical professional to help us address complex engineering challenges for advanced missile defense systems. We are a team of experts whose goals are to conceive and assess real-world missile systems, perform laboratory / field testing, conduct in-depth analysis of post-processed data, and present findings to sponsors and the war-fighter. As an Advanced Kinetic Weapons Engineer: Your primary responsibility will be to generate and analyze simulated guided missile data through the use of high-fidelity and mixed-fidelity simulations and statistical analysis tools. You will evaluate the performance of various existing and future interceptor systems, examining EO/IR and RF seeker operations, guidance and control performance, fire control sensor handover processes, missile proximity fuzing, and warhead efficacy. Verify and validate simulations against requirements and real world data to obtain formal accreditation. Present key findings to various government sponsors including the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency (MDA), among others. Make an impact on decisions and future designs for the systems that keep our war-fighters safe!

Requirements

PhD degree, or soon to be awarded PhD, in an Engineering field, Computer Science, Math or Physics
Demonstrated skills in data analysis of simulated large-scale dynamical systems such as possibly autonomous or piloted aircraft, or guided missiles, or related kinetic systems
Demonstrated an ability to craft clear and concise visualizations of analyzed data and explain the important outcomes to a wider audience
Experience with high-performance computing clusters (HPC) scripting or usage such as SLURM or Univa Grid Engine
Exposure to software verification, validation and accreditation (VV&A) testing
Exposure to scientific computing, data analysis, or a background in statistics and/or stochastic processes through classwork, projects, or internships
Proficient in MATLAB or a similar scientific computing language such as SciPy or Julia
Comfortable working in a Linux OS environment
Able to obtain an Interim Secret level security clearance by your start date and can ultimately obtain a Top Secret level clearance.
U.S. citizenship

Nice To Haves

Exposure to advanced system engineering methods and MBSE tools such as SysML, Cameo, Rhapsody, etc.
Some experience with advanced architectures and wargaming software such as AFSIM, Command PE, etc. would be advantageous.
Hold an active security clearance with the ability to obtain a higher level clearance

Responsibilities

Generate and analyze simulated guided missile data through the use of high-fidelity and mixed-fidelity simulations and statistical analysis tools.
Evaluate the performance of various existing and future interceptor systems, examining EO/IR and RF seeker operations, guidance and control performance, fire control sensor handover processes, missile proximity fuzing, and warhead efficacy.
Verify and validate simulations against requirements and real world data to obtain formal accreditation.
Present key findings to various government sponsors including the U.S. Navy and Missile Defense Agency (MDA), among others.