Mod/Sim Engineering Manager 2: Strategic Programs (Secret) Chandler

Description

The company's Space Sector supports strategic defense missions, and this role leads an engineering group that builds modeling-and-simulation capability for critical missile-defense programs.

The role supports the Weapons Prime Strategic initiative, starting with the SBI and GPI mission areas, and draws on a team across modeling and simulation, GNC, software, and AI.

You will help shape an AI-native modeling-and-simulation development plan and deliver a minimum viable product for an efficiency initiative supporting SBI and GPI, while staying hands-on in technical work.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a team of about 22 to 26 engineers across modeling and simulation, GNC, software, and AI, aligning staffing, assignments, recruiting, retention, and development with program execution and growth needs.
• Handle performance management, coaching, mentoring, feedback, and development planning within the enterprise review cycle, and build an inclusive, accountable, high-performing team.
• Own and deliver high-fidelity modeling-and-simulation products that support requirements development, decomposition, analysis, technical decisions, and program outcomes.
• Lead and review hands-on modeling-and-simulation work, including high-fidelity simulations, analysis environments, complex data analysis, trade studies, and sound conclusions for leadership and customers.
• Drive standard practice and delivery of efficiency initiatives such as automation, advanced analytics, surrogate modeling, and large Monte Carlo campaigns, and set up a practical AI-native development plan and early MVP.
• Build, maintain, and apply verification-and-validation procedures, scripts, automation, and regression assessment for mission-critical models and analysis products.
• Work with chief engineers, program leaders, and multidisciplinary teams across systems, propulsion, structures, avionics, software, and GNC to fit solutions into vehicle and mission architectures.
• Support system-of-systems analysis covering vehicles, sensors, ground segments, and command-and-control networks as needed for mission and program decisions.
• Explain technical findings, execution status, risks, and recommendations clearly to engineering leadership, program stakeholders, customers, and cross-functional partners.
• You may also take on other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Hold a bachelor's degree with 8 years of professional experience, or a master's degree with 6 years of professional experience. The company will consider an additional 4+ years of experience in place of a degree.
• Hold an active U.S. Government DoD Secret security clearance at the time you apply.
• Have hands-on, professional experience delivering modeling-and-simulation work in aerospace or defense. Academic or research-only simulation work does not meet this requirement.
• Have led technical GNC, software, modeling-and-simulation, or closely related engineering projects or workstreams, and been accountable for execution and outcomes.
• Have shown you can standardize and carry out engineering efficiency improvements to processes, tools, workflows, automation, or analysis.
• Have at least 5 years of real-world program execution in a complex aerospace, defense, or similarly regulated engineering environment.
• Be able to work onsite in Chandler, Arizona, and support a first-shift schedule.
• Be able to travel up to 10% of the time.
• Preferred: Have functional people-management experience, including coaching, mentoring, performance management, staffing, and development planning. Strong technical leaders with meaningful smaller-scale leadership experience may be considered.
• Preferred: Have worked on system-of-systems analysis across vehicles, sensors, ground segments, command-and-control systems, and mission architecture.
• Preferred: Have strong familiarity with missile programs, including missile defense, interceptors, strike, advanced weapons, or related strategic-defense development.
• Preferred: Have experience with MATLAB, Simulink, Python, C++, and Linux-based analysis environments.
• Preferred: Have experience with Monte Carlo simulation, high-performance computing, distributed computing, cloud-enabled analysis environments, or large-scale execution frameworks.
• Preferred: Have experience with verification and validation planning, regression automation, and mission-critical model assessment.
• Preferred: Have experience with surrogate modeling, AI or machine-learning-enabled analysis acceleration, advanced analytics, or AI-native engineering development.
• Preferred: Have worked effectively across multidisciplinary engineering organizations and communicated with technical and program stakeholders.
• Preferred: Hold an active DoD Top Secret clearance or higher.
• Preferred: Lead with integrity, ensuring ethical conduct, balanced results, and partner satisfaction. Respect and nurture growth, build collaborative teams and customer trust, communicate well, and embrace change.

Conditions

This is a 100% onsite position in Chandler, Arizona. Telecommuting is not an option.

The role works a 9/80 schedule, with every other Friday off.

Travel is required for 10% of the time.

Relocation assistance may be available.

A Secret clearance is required to start. The position is contingent on obtaining final clearances and program access within a reasonable period, as determined by the company.

The primary level base salary range is $139,100.00 to $208,700.00. This is a general guideline, and the actual offer depends on factors such as scope and responsibilities, experience, education, skills, and current market conditions.

The application period is estimated at 20 days from the posting date, but it may be shortened or extended based on business needs and candidate availability.

Benefits

• Depending on the position, you may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Annual bonuses reward individual contributions and let you share in company results.
• Vice President and Director positions may be eligible for Long Term Incentives.
• Health insurance, life and disability insurance, a savings plan, company-paid holidays, and paid time off for vacation and personal business.