Modeling & Simulation Engineer

Position Title: Modeling & Simulation Engineer
Position Type: Full-time; Onsite
Position Location: Chantilly, VA
Clearance Required: Active TS/SCI CI Poly

Waypoint’s client is seeking a highly motivated and skilled Modeling & Simulation Engineer to join their team supporting a critical government client. This position offers the opportunity to work on cutting-edge projects within the aerospace domain.

Responsibilities:

• Define modeling requirements from user needs and system architecture and develop scripts to automate scenario modeling and performance analysis.
• Develop models of the end-to-end phenomenology chain, including generating complex EO/IR target signatures (BRDF, thermal), modeling atmospheric radiative transfer using tools like MODTRAN, and integrating realistic cloud clutter and terrain backgrounds.
• Oversee mission-level simulation to assess ISR constellation performance.
• Conduct trade studies on future ISR constellations.
• Assess the resilience of specificized ISR architecture; model the space environment's impact on payload performance, including radiation effects on focal plane arrays, and analyze the vulnerability of established PNT (Positioning, Navigation, and Timing) systems to RF interference.
• Utilize Python for model development, data analysis, and simulation execution.
• Leverage AFSIM (or similar aerospace simulation software) for analysis and performance prediction.
• Incorporate phenomenological modeling principles into relevant models and simulations.

Required Qualifications:

• Active TS/SCI clearance with Poly.
• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience in modeling and simulation, preferably within the aerospace industry.
• Strong proficiency in Python programming.
• Familiarity with AFSIM or similar aerospace simulation tools.
• Solid understanding of orbital mechanics and space systems.
• Experience with phenomenological models, including a demonstrated ability to model relevant physical phenomena and validate those models.
• Experience modeling solar illumination effects, thermal emissions, Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) for material identification, and temperature dynamics of a target.
• Experience modeling Radar Cross Section (RCS) for various frequencies and polarizations, and the signatures of active RF emitters.
• Experience with atmospheric models (like MODTRAN or LibRadtran) to simulate absorption, scattering, turbulence (seeing effects), and path radiance.
• Experience generating realistic backgrounds, including Earth limb radiance, cloud clutter models, terrain-specific thermal and optical properties, and celestial backgrounds (stars, zodiacal light).
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related field.
• Experience with other simulation tools and programming languages.
• Experience with non-cooperative target tracking.
• Experience with collection & revisit modeling.
• Experience modeling the dynamics of rapid slewing and settling of the spacecraft bus and pointing systems.
• Demonstrated experience modeling the end-to-end Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) chain.
• Knowledge of cloud computing platforms (e.g., AWS, Azure).