Space Object Risk Specialist

The Enterprise Effects Division (EED) drives integration of Aerospace’s strategic capabilities across the national space enterprise. The division leverages a broad array of engineering disciplines against a diverse and dynamic portfolio of programs, customers, and national challenges. EED spans the capability lifecycle from concept and architecture design to performance assessment to application of space and space-enabled capabilities.   

As a member of the Space Object Risk Department, you will be providing technical capabilities to support our customers in advancing situational awareness and hazard assessment and mitigation to operate safely in space. 

Work Model 

This is a full-time position based in El Segundo, CA, Chantilly, VA, or Colorado Springs, CO offering a hybrid work model that combines a minimum of 3 regular onsite workdays and remote flexibility as the business needs allow.   

What You’ll Be Doing  

In this role, you will:  

• Contribute to multiple focus areas of the department, which include space traffic management, SDA data management, space object and debris environment assessment and projections, risk assessments of threats related to debris, re-entry, kinetic collisions, and electromagnetic spectrum interference. 

• Have an opportunity to support real-time operations support includes launch and on-orbit collision risk assessments, launch RF and debris risk assessment, on-orbit breakup event evaluation, and deorbit/reentry analysis. 

• Independently provide deep technical expertise, innovation, and project coordination/leadership in technical deep dives, trade studies, and assessments in teams with multi-disciplinary technical leaders across the company, Aerospace Program Office personnel, and external customers to define and address customer needs  

• Develop and present timely and technically accurate briefings and reports that clearly communicate analysis results and provide recommended solutions to technical leads, management, and customers 

• Train and mentor junior staff 

• Travel occasionally (as necessary) to support customer efforts 

What You Need to be Successful  

Minimum Requirements for an Engineering Specialist: 

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, math, science or related technical discipline from an accredited school 

• Minimum 6 or more years of increasingly responsible professional engineering/scientific experience.  

• Significant history of progressively responsible professional engineering/scientific experience in leading and contributing to modeling and simulation activities successfully demonstrated across many customer-driven projects   

• Experience with Aerospace customers and industry players 

• Aptitude with astrodynamics and related mathematics 

• Demonstrated experience and expertise in development and analysis supporting assessments of threat risk related to debris, re-entry, collision, or interference across the electromagnetic spectrum 

• Skills in mathematical formulation and derivation 

• Demonstrated skills in the development and use of computer software tools 

• This position requires the ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance, which is issued by the U.S. government. U.S. citizenship is required to obtain a security clearance. 

What You Need to be Successful  

Additional Minimum Requirements for a Senior Engineering Specialist: 

• Minimum 10 or more years of increasingly responsible professional engineering/scientific experience. 

• Act as a department senior liaison, providing proactive coordination and consultation to customers and Aerospace staff across the company 

• Provide support in strategic planning, identifying opportunities to leverage development and analysis across diverse projects and analysis types while suggesting ways to close capability gaps.  

• Extensive history of progressively responsible professional engineering/scientific experience in leadership and architecture of modeling and simulation activities demonstrated successfully over numerous substantial customer-driven projects   

• Extensive experience and expertise in development and analysis supporting assessments of threat risk related to debris, re-entry, collision, or interference across the electromagnetic spectrum 

How You Can Stand Out  

It would be impressive if you have one or more of these: 

• Advanced degree in engineering, math, science or related technical discipline from an accredited school 

• Experience with Python, C++, and/or Fortran 

• Many meaningful and consistent contributions to substantial technical analytical or development projects through their successful fruition  

• Extensive experience in primary department areas of support 

• Extensive experience with a diverse set of Aerospace customers 

• Current and active Top-Secret Clearance (TS) with SCI access