Senior Modeling & Simulation Engineer (TS/SCI)

K2 Space•Los Angeles, CA

9d•Onsite

About The Position

K2 is hiring a Senior Modeling & Simulation Engineer to build modeling and simulation capabilities for designing, verifying, and operating spacecraft on demanding national security missions. The role involves simulating and verifying flight and orchestration software, and modeling spacecraft and constellation performance against mission objectives, threats, and operational constraints. The senior engineer will drive solutions end-to-end across the software stack, make vehicle control software changes when needed, set technical direction, and mentor other engineers. In the first three months, the engineer will generalize simulation tools for classified contexts and model multiple spacecraft and mission profiles. In the first six months, the engineer will design many-agent, mission-level simulations and tools for operating constellations, informing mission assurance and company and program decisions. This role supports classified national security programs and is performed onsite in a secure environment. It requires U.S. citizenship and an active TS/SCI clearance.

Requirements

Active U.S. government security clearance at any level, or a clearance held within the last 12 months, and U.S. citizenship.
Prior experience working on classified national security programs and in secure/SCIF environments, including familiarity with handling classified information and program security protocols.
Bachelor's degree in physics, aerospace, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, or another STEM field.
At least 5 years of professional modeling and simulation experience.
Development experience in Rust, C++, or a similar compiled language.
Experience with scientific Python (such as NumPy or SciPy), Julia, MATLAB, or similar tools.
Demonstrated ability to own complex systems end-to-end and guide the work of other engineers.

Nice To Haves

Master's or PhD in physics, aerospace, mechanical or electrical engineering, computer science, mathematics, or another STEM field.
Experience with mission-level or campaign-level modeling and simulation for defense or national security applications.
Ability to communicate intuition and expertise effectively to stakeholders.
Experience working in Rust production environments.
Experience defining and creating simulation systems.
Experience with Monte Carlo simulations and probability or statistics.
Experience with linear algebra, controls, and/or orbital mechanics.
Experience with space communications modeling, including RF and ground stations.
Basic knowledge of electronics, Linux, and computer architecture.
Experience with continuous integration and continuous delivery systems.

Responsibilities

Develop mission-level modeling and simulation of national security space missions, capturing operational objectives, environments, and constraints.
Model and analyze constellation-level capability and performance against mission requirements, including network coverage, beam planning, and resilience in contested environments.
Support classified programs in accordance with applicable security requirements.
Create and maintain simulation software infrastructure for 20kW+ spacecraft.
Develop physics-based software models of spacecraft subsystems, including propulsion, attitude control, power, and communications systems.
Create and use robust tools to support rapid deployment of quality code.
Perform data analysis and anomaly investigation to identify and resolve on-orbit problems.
Support integration and testing of spacecraft subsystems.
Set technical direction, review designs and code, and mentor junior engineers.