Aerospace Flight Dynamics Simulation Engineer

Leidos • Huntsville, AL

4d • Onsite

About The Position

Leidos is seeking a senior-level aerospace engineer in the Flight Systems Department within its Defense Sector. The engineer will support the development, analysis, and testing of complex flight systems, including cruise missile, low-cost containerized munition, hypersonic missile, and other rapid-development programs. The position is based on-site at the Huntsville, Alabama office; candidates must live in North Alabama or be willing to relocate.

The role develops and maintains flight simulations, conducts flight-vehicle dynamics analyses, and communicates technical findings to program managers, customers, and stakeholders. It also leads a small team of junior modeling and simulation engineers, collaborates across engineering disciplines, and supports live flight-test events from planning through post-flight analysis. The work may involve scripts, graphical user interfaces, and other utilities supporting analysis and program needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field from an ABET-accredited school with 8 or more years of experience, or a master’s degree with 6 or more years of experience.
• Fundamental understanding of aerospace engineering concepts, particularly flight dynamics, simulation, orbital mechanics, and/or guidance, navigation, and controls.
• Solid programming experience in MATLAB/Simulink, C/C++, Python, or another programming language.
• Strong technical communication skills and ability to work independently and collaboratively.
• Resident of the North Alabama area or willingness to relocate to work on-site at the Huntsville, Alabama office.
• U.S. citizenship.
• Possess or be able to obtain a Secret clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering; applicable experience may be considered in lieu of an advanced degree.
• Familiarity with the DoW digital engineering paradigm and experience.
• Prior work with post-flight data analysis.
• Experience with flight-system development programs.
• Strong math skills in linear algebra, matrix math, statistics, trigonometry, and coordinate transformations.
• Experience conducting Monte Carlo analysis on Linux clusters.
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop simulation architectures.
• Experience with configuration-management software such as Git or Mercurial.
• C++ programming experience.
• Experience with trajectory-analysis tools such as TAOS or OTIS.
• Experience using numerical optimization techniques.
• Experience with Simulink code generation.
• Experience with GNC applications for flight vehicles, guided munitions, and/or UAS systems.

Responsibilities

• Create and maintain 6-DOF, 3-DOF, and/or hardware-in-the-loop simulations incorporating aerodynamic and propulsion models, GNC algorithms, and other features to characterize flight-vehicle performance, dynamics, and mission effectiveness.
• Conduct detailed flight-vehicle dynamics analyses, including Monte Carlo analysis, trajectory optimization, parameter sweeps, and other techniques to support design decisions, trade studies, reliability assessments, mission planning, flight-test preparation, and system-performance characterization.
• Present accurate assessments of technical results to program managers, external customers, and stakeholders to support design decisions and mission success.
• Lead a small team of junior modeling and simulation engineers by determining simulation requirements, delegating tasks, reviewing work, and communicating with program leadership.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, including aerodynamics, propulsion, mechanical design, and avionics and software teams, to ensure system designs satisfy mission requirements.
• Support live flight-test events, including planning, on-site test support, telemetry collection, and post-flight analysis.
• Develop, upgrade, or use scripts, GUIs, and other utilities to support analysis and programmatic efforts.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior