Description:
Flight Dynamicist
to join our team to to create unique solutions for complex problems. With offices across the United States engaging in the defense, space, cyber and commercial fields, Leidos provides responsive, cost-effective engineering, scientific and IT solutions. The Advanced Concepts Flight Dynamicist will support modeling and simulation development, conceptual design, and vehicle development of various phases of Missiles, Hypersonic Vehicles, Satellites, and other Space Vehicles. The candidate will perform detailed analysis of flexible and rigid body simulations, separation dynamics, orbit dynamics, trajectory analysis, vehicle sizing, and optimization studies across a multi-disciplinary team.
If this sounds like the kind of environment where you can thrive, keep reading!
Leidos Defense Systems Sector provides a diverse portfolio of systems, solutions, and services covering land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for customers worldwide. Solutions for Defense include enterprise and mission IT, large-scale intelligence systems, command and control, geospatial and data analytics, cybersecurity, logistics, training, and intelligence analysis and operations support. Our team is solving the world’s toughest security challenges for customers with “can’t fail” missions.
Are you ready to make an impact? Share your resume with us today!
Primary Responsibilities
- Develop and analyze 3DOF and 6DOF flight dynamics models to evaluate vehicle performance, stability, controllability, and mission effectiveness across the full flight envelope.
- Perform trajectory design, optimization, and trade studies for hypersonic, missile, launch vehicle, and space systems, balancing performance, range, payload, thermal, and operational constraints.
- Design, implement, and validate guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) algorithms including autopilot logic, trajectory shaping, target engagement, and terminal guidance functions.
- Develop high-fidelity simulations and digital engineering models to support concept development, requirements analysis, mission planning, system design, verification, and test activities.
- Conduct aerodynamic, propulsion, mass properties, and environmental sensitivity analyses to assess vehicle performance and identify key design drivers and technical risks.
- Perform flight mechanics analyses including stability and control assessments, separation dynamics, staging events, atmospheric flight, reentry, and orbital mission operations as applicable.
- Develop and integrate mission-level models within modeling and simulation frameworks, digital engineering environments, and hardware-in-the-loop or software-in-the-loop test architectures.
- Support flight test planning, pre-flight predictions, post-flight reconstruction, and data analysis activities to validate models and improve system performance.
- Collaborate across disciplines including aerodynamics, propulsion, thermal, systems engineering, software, and mission analysis teams to translate requirements into executable vehicle designs.
- Support technical proposals, customer engagements, concept studies, and strategic growth initiatives related to advanced aerospace, missile defense, hypersonic, and space systems.
- Present technical results, trade studies, and recommendations to internal leadership, customers, and stakeholders through briefings, reports, and design reviews.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, Applied Mathematics, or related engineering discipline from an ABET-accredited institution and 4 years of experience.
- Minimum Masters and 2-4 years of experience in flight dynamics, trajectory analysis, mission design, guidance and control, modeling and simulation, or related aerospace engineering disciplines.
- Demonstrated experience developing and analyzing 3DOF and/or 6DOF vehicle simulations.
- Strong understanding of flight mechanics, orbital mechanics, trajectory optimization, vehicle stability and control, mass properties, and aerospace vehicle performance.
- Experience with aerospace modeling and simulation tools such as MATLAB/Simulink, Python, STK, GMAT, FORTRAN, C/C++, or similar engineering software environments.
- Demonstrated capability establishing data pipeline transformations, executing batch simulation runs, or debugging continuous integration test sequences.
- Ability to work effectively within cross-functional engineering teams in a fast-paced development environment.
- Experience supporting technical proposals, customer interactions, and engineering reviews.
- Active Secret security clearance with the ability to obtain and maintain TS, as required.