Integrated Protection Strategy Engineer – Senior

KBR Careers; Chantilly (VA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 195,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401K plan with company match

Medical insurance

Dental

Vision

Life insurance

AD&D

FSA

Disability

Paid time off

Flexible work schedule

Job summary

KBR is seeking an Integrated Protection Strategy Engineer – Senior in Springfield, VA to lead collision avoidance system design, validation, and risk mitigation in dynamic orbital environments.

The role requires advanced orbital mechanics expertise, experience with conjunction assessment tools, and active TS/SCI clearance. On-site work at a government facility with potential cross‑agency collaboration and frequent coordination with mission planning and operations teams.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree and many years of relevant aerospace experience.
• Expertise in orbital mechanics or astrodynamics required.
• Proficiency with conjunction assessment tools and orbital propagation software.
• Active TS/SCI clearance with adjudicated polygraph.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, development, and validation of collision avoidance algorithms.
• Perform conjunction assessments using industry models to evaluate risk.
• Coordinate with mission ops teams to plan avoidance maneuvers.
• Analyze orbital data and propagate trajectories to predict conjunctions.
• Document collision avoidance processes, thresholds, and protocols.
• Provide technical guidance to junior engineers and analysts.
• Interface with government and commercial partners for data exchange.
• Support anomaly resolution and post-event analysis for incidents.
• Contribute to automation and accuracy improvements in SSA systems.
• Ensure compliance with space safety standards and regulations.

Skills

orbital mechanics

astrodynamics

aerospace engineering

conjunction assessment

leadership

Education

Master’s degree

Bachelor’s degree

No degree, 14 years exp.

Tools

STK

FreeFlyer

Job description

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead the design, development, and validation of collision avoidance algorithms and decision-support tools.
• Perform conjunction assessments using industry-standard and proprietary models to evaluate collision risk.
• Coordinate with mission operations teams to plan and execute avoidance maneuvers.
• Analyze orbital data and propagate trajectories to predict potential conjunctions.
• Develop and maintain documentation for collision avoidance processes, including risk thresholds and maneuver protocols.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to junior engineers and analysts.
• Interface with external organizations (e.g., government agencies, commercial partners) for data exchange and coordination.
• Support anomaly resolution and post-event analysis for conjunction-related incidents.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives for automation and accuracy in collision avoidance systems.
• Ensure compliance with applicable standards, regulations, and best practices for space safety.

Required Qualifications:

• Education & Experience: Master’s degree and 11 years of relevant experience with demonstrated expertise, OR Bachelor’s degree and 12 years of relevant experience with demonstrated expertise, OR No degree and 14 years of relevant experience with demonstrated expertise.
• Demonstrated expertise in orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, or related aerospace engineering disciplines.
• Proficiency with conjunction assessment tools and orbital propagation software (e.g., STK, FreeFlyer, or equivalent).
• Active Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance with adjudicated polygraph.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience with automated collision avoidance systems and large-scale space traffic management.
• Familiarity with international space safety standards and coordination protocols (e.g., CCSDS, ISO).

Additional Compensation:

KBR may offer bonuses, commissions, or other forms of compensation to certain job titles or levels, per internal policy or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be in the form of sign on bonus, relocation benefits, short term incentives, long term incentives, or discretionary payments for exceptional performance.

Benefits:

• 401K plan with company match
• medical
• dental
• vision
• life insurance
• AD&D
• flexible spending account
• disability
• paid time off
• flexible work schedule

Basic Compensation:

$159,900.00 - $195,400.00 (this is for the Springfield, VA area only) The offered rate will be based on the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.

Title: Integrated Protection Strategy Engineer – Senior Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR! KBR’s National Security Solutions team provides high-end engineering and advanced technology solutions to our customers in the intelligence and national security communities. In this position, your work will have a profound impact on the country’s most critical role – protecting our national security.

Why Join Us? Innovative Projects: KBR’s work is at the front‑line of engineering, logistics, operations, science, program management, mission IT and cybersecurity solutions. Collaborative Environment: Be part of a dynamic team that thrives on collaboration and innovation, fostering a supportive and intellectually stimulating workplace. Impactful Work: Your contributions will be pivotal in designing and optimizing defense systems that ensure national security and shape the future of space defense.

This is a contingent position based upon contract award KBR is seeking Integrated Protection Strategy Engineer – Senior, to lead the efforts to ensure safe and reliable operations of space assets through advanced conjunction assessment and mitigation strategies. This role involves developing, validating, and implementing collision avoidance algorithms, tools, and processes to protect critical systems in dynamic orbital environments. The engineer will collaborate with mission planning, flight dynamics, and operations teams to analyze risk and execute avoidance maneuvers when necessary. Candidates should demonstrate strong technical expertise, leadership in complex problem‑solving, and the ability to operate under strict timelines in high‑stakes scenarios. This position offers the opportunity to influence enterprise‑level safety standards and advance space situational awareness capabilities.

This role is performed full‑time on site at a government facility and is contingent upon contract award.

KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

KBR brings together the best and brightest to deliver science, technology and engineering solutions that help governments and companies around the world accomplish their most critical missions and objectives. In everything we do, we are guided by our ONE KBR Values: We Value Our People – We create diverse, inclusive environments in which each person can feel safe, respected and valued, and where everyone has opportunities to grow and reach their full potential; We Deliver – We are uncompromising in our commitment to deliver innovative, high-quality, technology‑led solutions for our customers and exceptional, sustainable value for all our stakeholders; We Are People of Integrity – We value honesty, trust, courage, fairness, prudence and tenacity. We believe doing what’s right for the planet, the communities where we work, and our people is good for business; We Empower – We empower our people with a shared purpose, the right tools and the supportive culture they need to be proactive decision-makers, to be adaptive to change, and to succeed; We Are a Team of Teams – We have a will to succeed, but we value the achievements of our team of teams over individual accomplishments. Our collective focus makes us a better, stronger, more effective company. We have also embedded environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles in every business operation and corporate function. Not only are we committed to operating safely, sustainably and equitably, but we are also committed to using our capabilities and expertise to help our customers accomplish their sustainability goals. Worldwide, KBR employs a diverse workforce approximately 29,000 people strong, with customers in more than 80 countries and operations in 40 countries.