IR Plume Mod/Sim Systems Engineer - Level 2

RELOCATION ASSISTANCE: Relocation assistance may be available

CLEARANCE REQUIRED FOR START: Yes

CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret

TRAVEL: Yes, 10% of the TimeDescription

At Northrop Grumman, our employees have incredible opportunities to work on revolutionary systems that impact people's lives around the world today, and for generations to come. Our pioneering and inventive spirit has enabled us to be at the forefront of many technological advancements in our nation's history - from the first flight across the Atlantic Ocean, to stealth bombers, to landing on the moon. We look for people who have bold new ideas, courage and a pioneering spirit to join forces to invent the future, and have fun along the way. Our culture thrives on intellectual curiosity, cognitive diversity and bringing your whole self to work — and we have an insatiable drive to do what others think is impossible. Our employees are not only part of history, they're making history.

Northrop Grumman Space Systems, Multi-Domain Operations, and Missile Defense Integration Business Unit (BU) has an exciting career opportunity for a Modeling & Simulation Systems Engineer – Level 2 (IR Plume Mod/Sim Systems Engineer) to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals. This position will be located on-site at Schriever Space Force Base, in Colorado Springs, CO.

This role requires employees to be onsite daily with no option for remote/hybrid work.

Position Overview:

Threat Systems Engineering (TSE) is responsible for the development and delivery of high-fidelity threat modeling products in support of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and MDA’s Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). TSE is responsible for the development of models and simulations (M&S) used to stimulate element models of MDA’s BMDS, including kinematic missile modeling, IR signature modeling, data production/analysis activities, and maintenance/sustainment activities for the entire TSE software baseline. TSE is a cornerstone element to the Threat and Advanced Simulations Development (TASD) contract.

Essential Functions:

• Data Engineering and Validation
  • Handling large-scale, multi-dimensional array datasets
  • Validating simulated data against measured test or flight data
• Analytical Rigor
  • A natural tendency toward thoroughness and attention to detail
  • Meticulous verification and validation of large, technical datasets
• Troubleshooting and Diagnostics
  • Systematic Root-Cause Analysis: Ability to logically isolate variables and trace errors to determine if a simulation failure is caused by bad input data, software bugs, or system configuration issues.
  • Legacy & Custom Code Debugging: Skilled at reading, parsing, and fixing errors in undocumented, in-house tools or legacy scripts (e.g., Python, MATLAB, C++) without relying on external support or documentation.
  • Log Parsing & Error Identification: Proficient at reading complex log files, console outputs, and stack traces to quickly pinpoint why a simulation run or data conversion tool crashed.
  • Data Sanity and “Silent Error” Detection: Able to identify and fix “silent failures” – where a tool runs to completion but produces physically or mathematically incorrect data.
• Team Collaboration
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Ability to prioritize and execute tasks and enjoy working in a collaborative team environment.
  • Ability to create and work within schedules and timelines

Seeking candidates who find satisfaction in working on challenging and diverse assignments in collaborative settings across all levels.

Basic Requirements: 

• Bachelor of Science degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math) discipline preferred with 2 years of technical experience, or 0-2 years’ experience with a Masters’ Degree.
• Ability and willingness to travel up to 10% of the time to support business needs.
• Applicants must have a current active in-scope U.S. Government issued Secret security clearance at the time of application which is required to start.
• Proficiency in Python, MATLAB or other scripting languages
• Foundational understanding of aerothermodynamics, radiative transfer, fluid dynamics, and molecular spectroscopy
• Foundational understanding of data analysis concepts.
• Basic conceptual understanding of flight dynamics and aerodynamics

Preferred Requirements:

• Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Optical Sciences, or a related STEM field
• Strong math, physics or engineering background
• Modeling, Simulation, and automation experience
• Experience with atmospheric modeling codes (e.g. MODTRAN)
• Experience with JANNAF radiative signature codes
• Experience working in Linux based distributed computational environments

Primary Level Salary Range: $83,400.00 - $125,200.00

The above salary range represents a general guideline; however, Northrop Grumman considers a number of factors when determining base salary offers such as the scope and responsibilities of the position and the candidate's experience, education, skills and current market conditions.

Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses are designed to reward individual contributions as well as allow employees to share in company results. Employees in Vice President or Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives. In addition, Northrop Grumman provides a variety of benefits including health insurance coverage, life and disability insurance, savings plan, Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business.

The application period for the job is estimated to be 20 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates.

Northrop Grumman is an Equal Opportunity Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. For our complete EEO and pay transparency statement, please visit http://www.northropgrumman.com/EEO. U.S. Citizenship is required for all positions with a government clearance and certain other restricted positions.