Descent and Landing System Engineer for Aerospace Research Facility

Descent and Landing System Engineer for Aerospace Research Facility

 

 

Job Description for Descent and Landing System Engineer:

·  Play a leading system engineering role in the design, development, and validation of descent and landing systems for planetary, lunar, or other solar system bodies. 

 

Duties:

·  Play a leading role in the design and landing requirements.

·  Contribute to subsystem interface definition and validation.

·  Characterize end-to-end performance.

·  Coordinate descent and landing simulation analyses and results across multiple organizations.

·  Coordinate end-to-end descent and landing test planning and execution. 

·  Contribute to system and subsystem test concepts.

·  Validate descent and landing system performance and show requirements are met.

·  Knowledge and experience in atmospheric entry and/or aero-braking is desired. 

·  For space systems in general, play a leading role in definition or requirements, development of system concepts, conduct of system level trade studies, and development, integration, testing, launch, and operation of the resulting systems.

·  Support program management.

·  Provide system engineering leadership to subsystem leads.

·  Organize and conduct the required concept and design reviews. 

·  Prepare outside publications and internal reports.

·  Organize and lead system or descent and landing level design reviews. 

·  Organize and present status review and other forms or reporting to keep program and line management informed. 

·  Develop candidate concepts in an evolving requirements environment. 

·  Conduct preliminary analysis/trade-off studies of candidate solutions with sponsor personnel; iterate design as warranted.

·  Lead pre-proposals support tasks. 

·  Support/Lead proposal development in the areas indicated above.  Determine end-to-end system requirements.

·  Develop system concepts and block diagrams to meet requirements. 

·  Conduct analysis/trade-off studies of design approaches, breaking down into subsystems and lower-level system components and closing down system requirements accordingly.

·  Develop realistic cost and schedule estimates that match known requirements and expectations.

 

Required: 

·  B.S. in engineering, physics, or closely related field.

·  7 – 10 years experience in entry, descent, and landing systems: design, development, testing, validation, and operation.  Strong cross-discipline system engineering skills, especially in relation to descent and landing system functions (guidance, navigation, communications, propulsion, sensors, etc.).

·  Very strong written and oral communication skills. 

·  Able to work in a team environment and to manage a large, multi-disciplinary team.

·  Must be willing to work on a long term contract basis.

·  Must be able to pass a background investigation.

 

Desired: 

·  Master’s degree or higher in engineering, physics, or related field. 

·  Knowledge and experience in atmospheric entry and/or aero-braking. 

·  Experience in terrain relative navigation and hazard avoidance methods. 

·  Familiarity with solar system research methods and objectives. 

·  Familiarity with STK, POST, structure/dynamic modeling tools, GNC algorithms. 

·  Strong generic space system engineering skills.