Senior Orbital Analyst

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

Benefits offered by this job

401K with company match

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Job summary

KBR, Inc. in Colorado Springs is seeking a Senior Orbital Analyst to support Space Domain Awareness missions. You will apply orbital mechanics and SDA expertise to analyze space object behavior and produce defensible assessments for operational decisions.

Collaborate with government and industry partners, translate complex data into clear briefings, and contribute to analytical workflows and product capabilities in a hybrid work environment.

Qualifications

• Active TS/SCI security clearance required.
• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Physics, Mathematics, Astronomy, or related STEM field, or equivalent experience.
• 6+ years of professional orbital analysis, astrodynamics, SDA, or related technical experience.
• Experience analyzing complex data and communicating defensible conclusions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Apply orbital mechanics, astrodynamics, and SDA concepts to analyze space object behavior.
• Analyze historical and real-time data to identify maneuvers, patterns, and anomalies.
• Generate technical assessments with consideration of data quality and uncertainty.
• Communicate analytical findings through written products, visuals, and discussions.
• Collaborate with analysts, operators, customers, and software teams to improve workflows.

Skills

Orbital analysis

Astrodynamics

SDA expertise

Data analysis

Briefing senior leaders

Written/verbal comms

Education

Aerospace Engineering degree

Physics degree

Mathematics degree

Astronomy degree

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.

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 of team’s philosophy and foster 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.