Tactical Modeling & Simulation Engineer

Swarm Aero•Washington, DC

7h•Hybrid

About The Position

Swarm Aero is redefining air power, building the largest swarming UAV and most versatile swarming aircraft network in the world. The company is moving quickly to launch the first aircraft designed specifically for swarming as well as the Command & Control software to mobilize swarms of thousands of heterogeneous autonomous assets and empower human operators to achieve superhuman results. The team has created and exited multiple startups, negotiated defense deals worth billions of dollars and designed and built 30+ novel aircraft, with aerospace experience from Scaled Composites, Airbus, Archer Aviation, Blue Origin, and Boom Supersonic. As a Tactical Modeling & Simulation Engineer at Swarm Aero, you will design, simulate, and analyze combat scenarios for autonomous swarm aircraft operating in contested environments. You will model adversarial tactics, threat responses, and mission outcomes. Your work directly influences how swarms make tactical decisions, adapt to enemy action, and achieve mission success in realistic combat scenarios.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Operations Research, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or related field
Ability to obtain a security clearance
5+ years developing mission-level simulations, war games, or tactical analysis in defense/aerospace
Hands-on experience with multi-agent tactical systems, autonomy behaviors, or distributed decision-making under uncertainty
Fluency in Python (SciPy/NumPy) and C++ or Rust for simulation and algorithm development
Ability to communicate tactical trade-offs and mission results to military and non-technical stakeholders
Ability to have a regular on-site presence at our Washington, D.C. office for in-person collaboration and meetings.

Nice To Haves

Advanced degree in Operations Research, Computer Science, Systems Engineering, or Applied Mathematics
Active TS/SCI security clearance
Military experience in mission planning, tactical operations, or red team/war gaming
Experience with defense simulation tools: AFSIM, OneSAF, JSAF, JWARS, STK, SIMDIS, or custom combat modeling frameworks
Background modeling contested communications, electronic warfare (EW/EMCON), C2 degradation, or adversarial tactics
Experience with reinforcement learning, game theory, or adversarial AI in tactical contexts
Familiarity with military doctrine, kill chain analysis, or operational planning processes

Responsibilities

Design and execute tactical war games and combat scenario simulations for swarm operations
Model adversarial behaviors, threat environments, and contested battlespace conditions (EW, jamming, kinetic threats)
Develop swarm decision-making algorithms for tactical behaviors: target prioritization, collaborative attack, threat evasion, mission re-planning
Perform Monte Carlo analysis of mission outcomes across varying threat scenarios and operational conditions
Translate operational requirements from military stakeholders into testable mission scenarios and performance metrics
Work directly with mission planners and defense customers to validate tactical models against real-world doctrine
Present war gaming results, tactical trade-offs, and mission effectiveness analysis to military partners and executives

Benefits

Meaningful equity stake in a high-growth defense technology company
Competitive base salary commensurate with experience
Comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, and 401(k)
PTO and paid sick time
Monthly Wellness Stipend
Daily catered lunch to office
Paid parental leave
Flexible work arrangement - remote/hybrid with regular collaboration in D.C.
Direct impact opportunity - be a key leader in building a critical technology for national security
World-class team - work alongside exceptional engineers and operators solving hard problems