Senior Astrodynamics Engineer - Exton, PA

Requisition #: 15254

Our Mission: Powering Innovation That Drives Human Advancement

When visionary companies need to know how their world-changing ideas will perform, they close the gap between design and reality with Ansys simulation. For more than 50 years, Ansys software has enabled innovators across industries to push boundaries by using the predictive power of simulation. From sustainable transportation to advanced semiconductors, from satellite systems to life-saving medical devices, the next great leaps in human advancement will be powered by Ansys.

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Summary

Ansys Government Initiatives (AGI) is seeking an experienced, top-performing Senior Astrodynamics Engineer to contribute to the design and development of its Systems Tool Kit (STK) Astrogator tool. Astrogator provides everything mission planners need to develop, optimize, and validate flight-ready trajectory solutions and reveals mission-critical insights that can decrease overall program costs. Astrogator is used to develop, refine, and validate high-fidelity trajectory designs, and to compute updates to planned maneuvers during operations in response to observed flight performance. Astrogator has been used on missions ranging from LEO to GEO, from the Sun to Arrokoth, and many places in between. In this role, the Senior Astrodynamics Engineer will work closely with the contributors to our other flight dynamics product, Orbit Determination Tool Kit (ODTK). ODTK provides highly accurate orbit estimates from processing real or simulated tracking data and is used throughout the engineering life cycle, from mission design through operations. In this role, the Senior Astrodynamics Engineer will use their expertise to develop strategic plans, refine requirements, and implement software solutions to achieve development objectives.

This position is not eligible for immigration sponsorship.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

1. Conduct extensive astrodynamics domain research and analysis in support of software development efforts.
2. Act as a technical reference across groups or products.
3. Work directly within the software to investigate and improve software capabilities.
4. Work with customers or proxies to assess needs and develop solutions.
5. Develop, employ, and maintain best practices through technical reviews and mentoring.
6. Produce and deliver technical presentations for industry conferences and internal training.
7. Operate without direct supervision and function as an organizational leader.
8. May be responsible for line management of a small technical team, but primary duties are of an individual technical nature.

Minimum Education & Experience

1. MS from an astrodynamics program, plus 6 years of astrodynamics domain experience, or a PhD focused in astrodynamics.
2. Familiarity with software development and coding practices.
3. Ability to develop expertise in commercial aerospace software development.
4. A track record of delivering state-of-the-art results on complex problems.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

1. Fluency with software development and coding practices, in particular C++, C#, etc.
2. Specialized knowledge in one or more of the following subject matter areas:
1. Station-keeping in Earth (LEO/GEO), lunar or cislunar orbits.
2. Rendezvous, relative motion and proximity operations.
3. Semi-analytic theory and propagation methods.
4. Multi-body dynamics and dynamical systems theory.
5. Low-thrust trajectory optimization.
6. General trajectory optimization.
7. Optimal control.
8. Attitude control & determination.
3. Strong mathematical background, partial derivatives, coordinate systems and transforms.
4. Operational experience in spacecraft flight dynamics.
5. Proven research skills within the astrodynamics community.
6. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
7. Ability to drive success across teams and geographies, and to mentor others.

At Ansys, we know that changing the world takes vision, skill, and each other. We fuel new ideas, build relationships, and help each other realize our greatest potential. We are ONE Ansys. We operate on three key components: the commitments to our stakeholders, the behaviors of how we work together, and the actions of how we deliver results.

INCLUSION IS AT OUR CORE
We believe diverse thinking leads to better outcomes. We are committed to creating and nurturing a workplace that fuels this by welcoming people, no matter their background, identity, or experience, to a workplace where they are valued and where diversity, inclusion, equity, and belonging thrive.