Flight Dynamics Engineer

The Aerospace Corporation; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive health care

401(k) Plan

Education assistance programs

Flexible work schedules

Job summary

The Aerospace Corporation is seeking a Member of Technical Staff in El Segundo, CA to provide primary technical support for hypersonics and trajectory design. This full‑time role requires a Bachelor's degree and at least two years of experience.

Responsibilities include conducting analysis and optimization of orbit trajectories for various vehicles. The position offers comprehensive benefits such as health care, paid time off, and 401(k) matching.

Qualifications

• At least two years of relevant professional, technical work experience.
• Willingness to travel domestically to customer and contractor facilities (≈10%).
• Ability to maintain a security clearance issued by the U.S. government; U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Provide primary support for hypersonics, missiles, interceptors, and reentry vehicle design.
• Conduct orbital mechanics analysis and trajectory optimization.
• Analyze issues related to traveling salesman problems and facility location.

Skills

Space mission analysis

Advanced astrodynamics

Algorithm design

Software development

Mathematical modeling

Programming (C, C++, Python, Fortran, MATLAB)

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Science, Mathematics, or related field

Job description

Work Model

This is a full‑time position based in ElSegundo, CA, Albuquerque, NM, Colorado Springs, CO, Chantilly, VA or Huntsville, AL. It offers an in‑person work model that combines four or more regular onsite workdays per week with remote flexibility as business needs allow.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Provide primary support for hypersonics, missiles, interceptors, and reentry vehicle trajectory design and optimization.
• Conduct cislunar and exploration‑class orbital mechanics analysis and trajectory optimization.
• Analyze time‑dependent traveling salesman problems and facility location problem.
• Perform astrodynamics and orbital mechanics analysis, including orbit propagation and maneuver design/optimization for orbit transfer, station keeping, graveyard, disposal, and reentry events.
• Analyze vehicles with chemical and/or electric propulsion.
• Evaluate contested mission applications for space systems to understand threat performance, assess vulnerabilities, and improve system resiliency.
• Develop concepts of operations (CONOPS), explore tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs), and incorporate operational constraints into the design and maturation of space and near‑space systems.
• Provide operational support for nominal launch and spacecraft deployment and transfer sequences, anomaly resolution, and on‑call emerging events.
• Utilize optimal control, flight mechanics, and computer science/algorithm development skills to create new capabilities that serve customer requests as stand‑alone services or ready‑to‑integrate submodules.
• Perform research and development and build new flight dynamics tools to cultivate and maintain a modern internal tool base.
• Leverage external tools such as ASSET, GPOPS‑II, SNOPT, POST, OTIS, Copernicus, GMAT, EMTG, etc., to augment internally developed capabilities.
• Collaborate with other departments on mentor and orbit design, selection, and optimization for missions supporting rendezvous and proximity operations with complex operational constraints.
• Collaborate on trajectory design and optimization for launch vehicles and spacecraft for missions operating in LEO, MEO, HEO, GEO, and other earth‑centric regimes.

Minimum Requirements for Member of Technical Staff – Flight Mechanics

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited program in Engineering, Science, Mathematics, or a related technical discipline.
• At least two years of relevant professional, technical work experience.
• Experience in one or more of: space mission analysis and design, advanced astrodynamics, algorithm design, software development, mathematical modeling, multi‑objective optimization, trajectory simulation, and performance optimization of spacecraft, missiles, and reentry vehicles.
• Proficiency with one or more programming languages/tools: C, C++, Python, Fortran, MATLAB.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to travel domestically to customer and contractor facilities (≈10%).
• Ability to obtain and maintain a security clearance issued by the U.S. government; U.S. citizenship required.

Minimum Requirements for Senior Member of Technical Staff – Flight Mechanics

• Five or more years of relevant technical work experience.
• Demonstrated technical excellence in the relevant job capabilities and functions.
• Ability to operate independently in the presence of ambiguity and deliver high quality end products to a range of customers.

What You Can Stand Out

• Graduate degree and/or research or professional experience in engineering, mathematics, physics, computer science, or a related field.
• Experience using or building analysis software that combines numerical methods, orbital or flight mechanics, and optimization for launch vehicles, missiles, interceptors, spacecraft, or reentry vehicles.
• Experience with nonlinear programming, direct methods, gradient‑based optimization, parameter optimization, genetic algorithms, evolutionary algorithms, heuristic optimization methods, indirect methods, and/or calculus of variations.
• Advanced algorithm development skills, including parallel processing and scripting experience.
• Experience with contested space trajectory applications, military exercises, and wargaming events.
• Ability to build and foster effective working relationships with customers, contractors, FFRDC, and other personnel.
• Experience directly interfacing with senior government customers.
• Experience in spacecraft or launch operations.
• Current SSBI with an active TS/SCI clearance and current SAP access.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health care and wellness plans.
• Paid holidays, sick time, and vacation.
• Standard and alternate work schedules, including telework options.
• 401(k) Plan – Employees receive a total company‑paid benefit of 8%, 10% or 12% of eligible compensation based on years of service and matching contributions; employees are immediately eligible and vested upon hire.
• Flexible spending accounts.
• Variable pay program for exceptional contributions.
• Relocation assistance.
• Professional growth and development programs to help advance your career.
• Education assistance programs.
• Inclusive work environment built on teamwork, flexibility, and respect.

Equal Opportunity Commitment

The Aerospace Corporation is an equal‑opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, color, religion, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, physical disability, medical condition, mental disability, or any other characteristic protected by state or federal law.