Senior Modeling & Simulation Engineer Lead
EXPANSIA · Newport News, VA · onsite
USD 120,000 to 125,000 · period not stated
Start Date: Immediate
JHNA, CTSi, and EXPANSIA have come together to form a Defense Technology platform focused on delivering high-impact technologies, technology-enabled services and advanced manufacturing solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense and related national security customers. Backed by Falfurrias Management Partners, the platform brings together deep domain expertise across Army, Navy, and Air Force and Space Force programs, digital engineering, systems integration, and specialized manufacturing capabilities.
The combined organization operates as a multi-entity aerospace and defense technology and tech-enabled services and manufacturing enterprise positioned for scalable growth, operational excellence, and long-term value creation.
OVERVIEW
Full-time/Permanent Employee
Location: Huntsville, AL
Aether Aerospace is seeking a highly capable Datalinks Engineer to support the PM UAS Technical Management Division (TMD) and serve as the primary Division-level technical expert for UAS datalinks. This individual will work in direct support of the Chief Engineer, the PM UAS Product Offices, the Component Technology Branch, and special projects aligned with the PM UAS mission.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Lead MACE scenario development, model configuration, simulation execution, troubleshooting, and technical documentation.
- Translate approved operational vignettes into executable scenarios with defined force structures, mission objectives, initial conditions, transition conditions, and termination criteria.
- Establish a common baseline and configure controlled comparison cases that isolate the effects of the capabilities being evaluated.
- Configure platform, sensor, threat, weapon, communications, and electronic-warfare representations using available MACE capabilities and approved technical data.
- Assess MACE’s ability to represent required interactions and capture required outputs; identify model limitations, data gaps, and requirements for additional technical support.
- Develop and execute verification checks covering scenario initialization, entity behavior, event sequencing, engagement logic, and output consistency.
- Execute repeated runs and sensitivity cases specified by the analysis team. Document observed run-to-run variation, controllable settings, and limits on repeatability.
- Configure simulation logging and output collection to capture the events and measures required by the approved study plan.
- Maintain configuration identifiers, model and data versions, input settings, execution status, and output locations.
- Investigate failed or anomalous runs, document their disposition, and preserve traceability between original and corrected executions.
- Provide complete, organized simulation outputs and configuration records to analysts for data reduction, statistical analysis, and interpretation.
- Support analysts by explaining model behavior, investigating unexpected outcomes, and identifying assumptions or limitations that affect interpretation.
- Contribute modeling content to study plans, technical reviews, verification memoranda, results briefings, final reports, and an authorized reproducibility package.
- Coordinate technical issues with software vendors and other modeling specialists as needed.
- Follow applicable data-handling, software-license, export-control, and customer-release requirements.
- Ability to explain simulation behavior and distinguish modeled events, assumptions, and limitations.
- Strong technical writing, briefing, troubleshooting, and collaboration skills.
- Ability to meet applicable access and data-handling requirements for assigned work.
KEY QUALIFICATIONS:
- Demonstrated hands-on experience developing, configuring, executing, and troubleshooting MACE scenarios.
- Experience leading technical modeling work or serving as the principal model developer for a simulation-based study.
- Working knowledge of military mission modeling, including platforms, sensors, threats, engagements, and mission-level interactions.
- Experience verifying simulation behavior and assessing model capabilities, limitations, and suitability for an intended study.
- Ability to execute controlled comparison cases, repeated runs, and sensitivity cases while maintaining consistent configurations and complete execution records.
- Experience configuring MACE output collection and providing documented simulation results to an analysis team.
- Ability to explain simulation behavior and distinguish modeled events, assumptions, and limitations.
- Strong technical writing, briefing, troubleshooting, and collaboration skills.
- Ability to meet applicable access and data-handling requirements for assigned work.
PREFERRED ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS:
- Advanced degree in a relevant technical discipline.
- Experience with Army aviation, aircraft survivability, launched effects, precision fires, electronic warfare, or mission effectiveness modeling.
- Experience representing interactions between aviation and ground-force operations.
- Familiarity with DIS interfaces and simulation interoperability.
- Experience with MACE scripting, APIs, or C# extensions.
- Experience supporting commercial or government studies with formal review milestones and controlled technical deliverables.
Aether Aerospace is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected characteristic.