Aerospace Systems Engineer – Flight Test & Performance Analysis

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

About The Position

The Aerospace Systems Engineer supports the test, evaluation, and performance analysis of developmental Navy and Air Force missile systems, including Trident and Sentinel. The role provides independent engineering assessments to government sponsors to inform system development and help ensure mission success. The engineer evaluates flight system performance, develops modeling and simulation tools, and helps plan and execute test and evaluation activities. The position involves working with experienced engineers, participating in flight testing, and analyzing real-world flight data related to strategic missiles, reentry systems, and hypersonic weapons.

Requirements

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
At least 2 years of relevant engineering experience.
A solid foundation in flight dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance and control, systems engineering, or modeling and simulation.
Experience using MATLAB, Python, or similar computational tools to solve engineering problems.
Demonstrated analytical and problem-solving skills and ability to apply engineering principles to complex challenges.
Ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary teams and communicate technical information clearly, in writing and verbally.
Initiative, adaptability, and interest in learning new technical disciplines.
Comfort working in closed-area facilities and traveling for meetings and field tests, approximately 25–30 days per year.
Ability to obtain an Interim Secret clearance by the start date and ultimately a Top Secret clearance; eligibility requires U.S. citizenship and is subject to a government security clearance investigation.

Nice To Haves

Master of Science in a related technical discipline.
5 or more years of experience in aerospace systems analysis, modeling and simulation, flight testing, or test and evaluation.
Experience analyzing flight or ground test data, developing performance predictions, or evaluating aerospace system behavior.
Experience with six-degree-of-freedom simulations, trajectory analysis, or aerospace performance models.
Experience with missile systems, reentry systems, hypersonic vehicles, or other complex flight systems.
Familiarity with requirements development, test planning, verification and validation, or system-level performance assessment.
Experience working with government sponsors, defense contractors, or aerospace development programs.
Experience supporting strategic missile programs such as Trident, Minuteman, or Sentinel.
Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

Perform engineering analysis and test and evaluation of Navy and Air Force strategic and hypersonic missile systems, including comparisons with preflight predictions and system requirements.
Develop and apply computational models, simulations, and analytical tools to evaluate missile and reentry system performance.
Analyze flight and ground test data to characterize system behavior and investigate performance differences.
Contribute to performance requirements, test objectives, evaluation plans, and data collection requirements.
Work with multidisciplinary teams on flight dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, and related technical challenges.
Develop analysis tools, automation, and visualization methods.
Document and present findings and recommendations to project teams and government sponsors.
Participate in flight test planning, field test operations, and post-flight analysis.
Collaborate with technical experts across the Laboratory, government, and industry while expanding technical expertise.

Benefits

Robust education assistance program and education assistance.
Retirement plans with unparalleled retirement contributions.
Paid time off.
Medical insurance.
Dental insurance.
Vision insurance.
Life insurance.
Short-term disability insurance.
Long-term disability insurance.
Flexible spending accounts.
Training and development.
Potential sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.