Advanced Mission Design Engineer

3M HEALTHCARE; Town of Texas (WI); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off and holidays

Retirement benefits including 401(k)

Educational reimbursement

Parental leave

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

Amentum is seeking an Advanced Mission Design Engineer to join the JETS Advanced Mission Design Team, supporting NASA's Orion and commercial crew programs. You will analyze and design trajectories, optimize mission profiles, and develop algorithms and software for Copernicus trajectory tools.

Qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in Engineering with 2–5 years’ experience, strong communication, and experience with orbital mechanics and simulation model validation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering; 2–5 years of related experience.
• Experience with orbital mechanics and spacecraft trajectories.
• Experience developing, verifying, and validating simulation models.
• Excellent written and verbal communication; team collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Provide trajectory products supporting mission design for Orion Artemis missions.
• Perform trajectory optimization runs to characterize performance and availability.
• Develop, integrate, and test new algorithms for evaluation of mission performance.
• Provide software development and scripting of Copernicus trajectory tool.
• Integrate Copernicus with other trajectory software and tools.
• Develop requirements documentation for mission design products.
• Provide recommendations for improvements in design and software processes.
• Perform other duties as required.

Skills

orbital mechanics

spacecraft trajectories

communication skills

task prioritization

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

ABET-accredited program

Master's or PhD (preferred)

Tools

Modern Fortran

Python

C++

Git/GitLab

GitlabCI

OpenSceneGraph

OpenGL

Qt

Linux / Windows / macOS

Job description

Are you passionate about human space exploration, understanding the origins of the universe, and working with a passionate and diverse team to make a difference? If you are, we need you! We need your talent, teamwork, and energy to help us achieve great things that inspire people all over the globe and bring creative ideas to help us envision, shape, and deliver systems that enable the exploration of space while benefiting people here on Earth. We are excited about what we do and need you on our team as we take on exciting challenges for NASA’s pursuits in deep space exploration.

We are NASA’s largest engineering solutions provider, working together with NASA at centers across the United States. An advanced opportunity awaits an Advanced Mission Design Engineer to join the JETS Advanced Mission Design Team, providing mission analysis and design across the Orion and commercial crew programs.

Responsibilities

• Provide trajectory products supporting spacecraft mission design and analysis for advanced Orion crewed missions such as Artemis I‑III and related missions.
• Perform trajectory optimization runs to characterize vehicle performance and mission availability for a variety of scenarios.
• Develop, integrate, and test new algorithms for evaluation of vehicle and mission performance.
• Provide software development and scripting of NASA’s Copernicus trajectory optimization tool and related applications.
• Integrate Copernicus with other trajectory software and tools.
• Develop requirements documentation for mission design products.
• Provide recommendations for improvements in design and software development processes.
• Perform other duties as required.

Qualifications (Basic)

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering and a minimum of 2‑5 years of experience in the field or a related area.
• Experience with orbital mechanics and designing spacecraft trajectories.
• Experience with development of spacecraft mission design algorithms and analyzing spacecraft performance.
• Experience developing, verifying, and validating simulation models.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Experience working in a team environment consisting of NASA civil servants and contractors.
• Strong interpersonal skills to enable successful performance in a collaborative environment.
• Ability to organize and prioritize tasks to meet deadlines and schedules with limited supervision.
• Ability to prepare written documents and to verbally present at meetings.
• Experience with Microsoft Office products.

Preferences

• A bachelor’s degree in engineering from an ABET accredited engineering school with five (5) years of related engineering experience, a master’s degree from an accredited engineering school and four (4) years of related engineering experience, or a Ph.D. from an accredited engineering school and zero (0) years of related experience.
• Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering with a focus on trajectory design, optimization, and orbital mechanics.
• Experience with 3‑DOF spacecraft simulations.
• Proficiency in software development using programming languages such as Modern Fortran, Python, C++, bash, and Julia.
• Experience with Python package management systems such as conda/mamba.
• Experience with 3D graphics libraries such as OpenSceneGraph, OpenGL, and OpenFrames.
• Experience with GUI development in Python and Qt.
• Experience with multiple operating systems such as Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Experience with product delivery and management.
• Experience with source code management tools such as Git/GitLab and continuous integration systems such as GitlabCI.

Why Join Our Team?

• Excellent personal and professional career growth.
• 9/80 work schedule (every other Friday off), when applicable.
• Onsite cafeteria (breakfast & lunch).
• Much, much more!

Benefits Overview

• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid time off and holidays.
• Retirement benefits (including 401(k) matching).
• Educational reimbursement.
• Parental leave.
• Employee stock purchase plan.
• Tax‑saving options.
• Disability and life insurance.
• Pet insurance.

Proof of U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Residency may be a requirement for this position. Must be able to complete a U.S. government background investigation.

Management has the prerogative to select at any level for which the position is advertised.

Essential Functions: Work Environment – generally an office environment, but can involve inside or outside work depending on task. Physical Requirements – work may involve sitting or standing for extended periods (90% of time). May require lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs. (5% of time). Equipment and Machines – standard office equipment (PC, telephone, printer, etc.). Attendance – regular attendance in accordance with established work schedule is critical. Ability to work outside normal schedule and adjust schedule to meet peak periods and surge requirements.

#JETS #JETSII

Compensation Details: EN2‑ESS. The compensation range or hourly rate listed for this position is provided as a good‑faith estimate of what the company intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and relevant laws.

Original Posting: 05/08/2026 – Until Filled. Amentum anticipates this job requisition will remain open for at least three days, with a closing date no earlier than three days after the original posting. This timeline may change based on business needs.

Amentum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, ancestry, United States military or veteran status, color, religion, creed, marital or domestic partner status, medical condition, genetic information, national origin, citizenship status, low‑income status, or mental or physical disability so long as the essential functions of the job can be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law. Learn more about your rights under Federal laws and supplemental language at Labor Laws Posters.