Senior Modeling & Simulation Engineer (TS/SCI)

k2spacecorporation; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

K2 seeks a senior engineer to build modeling and simulation for national security spacecraft. You will design, verify, and operate software that controls large satellites, drive end-to-end solutions, and mentor engineers in a secure environment.

In early months you will generalize tools to operate in classified contexts and model multiple spacecraft and mission profiles, supporting critical program decisions.

Qualifications

• Active U.S. government security clearance or recent clearance, and US citizenship.
• Bachelor's degree in physics, aerospace/mechanical/electrical engineering, computer science, math, or a STEM field.
• 5+ years of professional modeling and simulation experience.

Responsibilities

• Develop mission-level modeling and simulation of national security space missions.
• Model constellation-level capability and performance against mission requirements.
• Create and maintain simulation software infrastructure for 20kW+ spacecraft.

Skills

Security clearance

US Citizenship

End-to-end systems ownership

Programming in Rust/C++

Scientific Python/Julia/MATLAB

Education

Bachelor's degree in physics/engineering/CS

Master's or PhD in STEM (nice to have)

Tools

Rust

C++

Python/NumPy/SciPy

MATLAB

Job description

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by over $1 billion in total funding from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, ICONIQ, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures, and T. Rowe Price - and with over $1 billion in signed contracts across commercial and US government customers, we're mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

The rise of heavy-lift launch vehicles is shifting the industry from an era of mass constraint to one of mass abundance, and we believe this new era demands a fundamentally different class of spacecraft. Engineered to survive the harshest radiation environments and to fully capitalize on today's and tomorrow's massive rockets, K2 satellites deliver unmatched capability at constellation scale and across multiple orbits.

With multiple launches in 2027 and plans to scale to 100 satellites a year, we're Building Bigger - helping develop the solar system and build toward a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization.

The Role

You will build the modeling and simulation capabilities that let us design, verify, and operate spacecraft for demanding national security missions. You will simulate and verify the software that flies and orchestrates some of the largest satellites ever flown, and model how those systems perform against real mission objectives, threats, and operational constraints. As a senior member of the team, you will drive solutions end-to-end across the software stack, make changes to vehicle control software where needed, set technical direction, and mentor other engineers.

In your first 3 months you will generalize our simulation tools to operate in classified contexts, modeling multiple spacecraft and mission profiles, demonstrating robust performance in contested and demanding environments.

In your first 6 months you will design many-agent, mission-level simulations and tools for operating entire constellations, directly informing mission assurance and critical company and program decisions.

This role supports classified national security programs. Work is performed on-site in a secure environment and requires an active TS/SCI clearance and US citizenship.

Responsibilities

• Develop mission-level modeling and simulation of national security space missions, capturing operational objectives, environments, and constraints.
• Model and analyze constellation-level capability and performance against mission requirements, including network coverage, beam planning, and resilience in contested environments.
• Support work on classified programs in accordance with all applicable security requirements.
• Create and maintain simulation software infrastructure for our 20kW+ spacecraft.
• Develop physics-based software models of spacecraft subsystems, including propulsion, attitude control, power, and communications systems.
• Create and utilize robust tools to allow for rapid deployment of quality code.
• Perform data analysis and anomaly investigation to identify and resolve on-orbit problems.
• Support integration and testing of spacecraft subsystems.
• Set technical direction, review designs and code, and mentor junior engineers.

Qualifications

• Active U.S. government security clearance (any level), or a clearance held within the last 12 months, and US Citizenship
• Prior experience working on classified national security programs and in secure/SCIF environments, including familiarity with handling classified information and program security protocols.
• Bachelor's degree in physics, aerospace/mechanical/electrical engineering, computer science, math, or a STEM field
• 5+ years of professional modeling and simulation experience.
• Development experience in Rust, C++, or similar compiled language.
• Experience using scientific Python (NumPy, SciPy, etc.), Julia, MATLAB, or similar.
• Demonstrated ability to own complex systems end-to-end and guide the work of other engineers.

Nice to Have

• Master's or PhD in physics, aerospace/mechanical/electrical engineering, computer science, math, or a STEM field.
• Experience with mission-level or campaign-level modeling and simulation for defense or national security applications.
• Facility communicating intuition and expertise effectively to stakeholders.
• Experience working in Rust production environments.Experience defining and creating simulation systems.
• Experience with Monte Carlo simulations and probability/statistics.
• Experience with linear algebra, controls, and/or orbital mechanics.
• Experience with space communication modeling (RF, ground stations).
• Basic knowledge of electronics, Linux, and computer architecture.
• Experience with continuous integration an