Senior R&D Engineer - Astrodynamics/Trajectory Optimization - Exton Pennsylvania

Location: Exton, Pennsylvania
Posted On: 06/23/2025

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. 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 • Conducts extensive astrodynamics domain research and analysis in support of software development efforts • Acts as a technical reference across groups or products • Works directly within the software to investigate and improve software capabilities • Works with customers or proxies to assess needs and develop solutions • Develops, employs and maintains best practices through technical reviews and mentoring • Produces and delivers technical presentations for industry conferences and internal training • Operates without direct supervision and functions as an organizational leader • May be responsible for line management of a small technical team, but primary duties are of an individual technical nature Minimum Education & Experience • MS from an astrodynamics program, plus 3 years of astrodynamics domain experience, or a PhD focused in astrodynamics, plus 1 year of astrodynamics domain experience • Familiarity with software development and coding practices • Ability to develop expertise in commercial aerospace software development • A track record of delivering state-of-the-art results on complex problems Preferred Qualifications & Skills • Fluency with software development and coding practices, in particular C++, C#, etc. • Specialized knowledge in one or more of the following subject matter areas: o Station-keeping in Earth (LEO/GEO), lunar or cislunar orbits o Rendezvous, relative motion and proximity operations o Semi-analytic theory and propagation methods o Multi-body dynamics and dynamical systems theory o Low-thrust trajectory optimization o General trajectory optimization o Optimal control o Attitude control & determination o Strong mathematical background, partial derivatives, coordinate systems and transforms o Operational experience in spacecraft flight dynamics o Proven research skills within the astrodynamics community o Excellent communication and interpersonal skills o Ability to drive success across teams and geographies, and to mentor others More...

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