Senior Orbital Analyst

KBR, Inc; Colorado Springs (CO); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

KBR, Inc. seeks a Senior Orbital Analyst in Colorado Springs to support Space Domain Awareness missions. You will apply orbital mechanics and SDA expertise to assess satellite behavior and communicate defensible findings to technical and non-technical audiences.

The role requires a TS/SCI clearance, 6+ years in orbital analysis or related fields, and collaboration with government customers, partners, and software developers to improve analyses and workflows.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI clearance.
• 6+ years in orbital analysis, astrodynamics, SDA, or related field.
• Strong analytical and communication skills; able to brief senior leaders.

Responsibilities

• Perform orbital analysis and SDA tasks using orbital mechanics principles.
• Analyze historical and real-time space data to identify maneuvers and anomalies.
• Communicate findings through written products, visuals, and briefings.
• Collaborate with government customers, partners, and software teams.

Skills

Orbital analysis

Astrodynamics

SDA

Data analysis

Communication skills

Briefing senior leaders

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy, or related STEM

Tools

Operational software tools

Visualization platforms

Mission applications

Job description

Title: Senior Orbital Analyst Belong. Connect. Grow. with KBR!

Why Join Us?

Advance the Future of Space Operations: Drive innovation at the intersection of military operations, commercial space capabilities, and emerging technologies that directly support national security missions.

Make Mission-Critical Impact: Lead efforts that shape training, experimentation, exercises, and operational readiness across the Space Enterprise and Combatant Commands.

Operate at the Cutting Edge: Integrate modeling and simulation, Space Domain Awareness (SDA), and Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance, and Tracking (TACSRT) capabilities to solve tomorrow's challenges today.

Work with Elite Teams: Collaborate with operators, engineers, and mission partners across government, industry, and defense organizations to deliver transformative capabilities.

Turn Vision into Capability: Influence how next-generation space systems are evaluated, adopted, and employed in real-world operations where success matters most.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Orbital Analyst to support Space Domain Awareness (SDA) missions and analytical activities across a range of operational and technical efforts. The ideal candidate will possess a strong understanding of orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, and SDA, along with the analytical judgement necessary to characterize satellite behavior and communicate mission-relevant findings. The Orbital Analyst will analyze historical and real-time space data, assess routine and anomalous satellite activity, and develop clear, defensible assessments to support operational and technical decision-making. The analyst may support government, commercial, and allied mission partners, including operational SDA environments such as the Joint Commercial Operations (JCO) construct, and will collaborate with KBR analysts, operators, customers, and software development personnel to improve analytical workflows, procedures, and products capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

Orbital Analysis and Space Domain Awareness

• Apply orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, satellite state data, and perturbation concepts to analyze and characterize space object behavior.
• Analyze historical and real-time data to identify maneuvers, patterns, trends, anomalous activity, and other mission-relevant events.
• Evaluate orbital changes and satellite behavior to generate technical assessments, including appropriate consideration of data quality and uncertainty.
• Communicate analytical findings through clear written products, visualizations, and technical discussions.

Mission and Customer Support

• Collaborate with analysts, operators, government customers, commercial partners, and other mission stakeholders to address analytical needs and emerging events.
• Translate complex orbital analysis into clear, actionable information for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Contribute to analytical procedures, workflows, training, and knowledge sharing to improve mission effectiveness.

Problem-Solving and Innovation

• Analyze historical and real-time satellite data to identify patterns and characterize satellite behavior.
• Apply creative and "outside the box" thinking to hypothesize and identify potential new capabilities or interpretations of situations.
• Collaborate directly with the software development team to provide analytical requirements and feedback for product refinement.

Required Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI security clearance.
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy, or a related STEM discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Demonstrated professional experience in orbital analysis, astrodynamics, SDA, space operations, or a closely related technical field, 6+ years.
• Demonstrated ability to analyze complex data, identify relevant patterns or behaviors, and develop technically defensible conclusions.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to work effectively in time-sensitive operational environments.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively as part of a distributed technical and operational team.
• Proven ability to brief senior military and government leaders.
• Experience supporting operational software tools, visualization platforms, or mission applications.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Desired Qualifications

• Direct experience supporting DRAGON Army, JCO, SPACECOM, USSF, or Combatant Command missions.
• Experience integrating commercial space capabilities into military operations.
• Experience as a Product Owner, Operations Liaison, Exercise Planner, Mission Manager, or Operational Analyst.
• Knowledge of Iron Stallion, SDCCS, Machina, Wide Area Vision, mission management platforms, or similar SDA tools.
• Experience developing and presenting executive-level briefings and operational assessments.

Ideal Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate resembles a senior SDA professional who has successfully combined orbital analysis, astrodynamics expertise, operational mission support, satellite behavior characterization, and customer-facing analytical leadership. This individual is comfortable operating across both technical and operational environments, can communicate effectively with analysts, operators, software developers, and senior decision-makers, and has a demonstrated history of translating complex orbital data into actionable mission insights that improve operational outcomes. This position is designed for a senior mission-focused professional capable of immediately supporting SDA operations, commercial and government mission partners, analytical workflow development, and the continued evolution of KBR’s operational space capabilities. The successful candidate brings technical rigor, intellectual curiosity, collaborative leadership, and the ability to deliver timely, defensible assessments in support of national security space missions.

Location

Colorado Springs, CO (Hybrid Eligible)

Clearance

Active TS/SCI

Required Travel

Minimal

Working Hours

40 hours per week, 8am – 4.30 pm MST

Basic Compensation

$140-$180K The offered rate will be based on the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, abilities and/or experience and in consideration of internal parity.

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.

KBR Benefits

KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule. We support career advancement through professional training and development.

Company Culture

Belong, Connect and Grow at KBR At KBR, we are passionate about our people and our Zero Harm culture. These inform all that we do and are at the heart of our commitment to, and ongoing journey toward being a People First company. That commitment is central to our team’s philosophy and fosters an environment where everyone can Belong, Connect and Grow. We Deliver – Together. 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 — Delivering Solutions, Changing the World. 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. At KBR, We Deliver.