Lead Simulations Engineer

Job Title: Lead Simulations Engineer
Job Description
As a Lead Simulations Engineer, you will architect and build real-time and faster-than-real-time simulations for a next-generation extra-terrestrial rover program. You will design simulation infrastructure from the ground up, model complex vehicle dynamics and environments, and integrate your simulations with flight software and hardware testbeds. This role offers the opportunity to create mission-critical simulation algorithms that do not currently exist, directly influencing system-level design decisions for a manned rover intended to operate on the lunar surface.
Responsibilities

• Architect and build real-time and faster-than-real-time simulations of complex systems such as spacecraft, aircraft, automobiles, or similar vehicles.
• Develop individual models for vehicle subsystems, including vehicle dynamics, operating environments, sensors, and actuators.
• Design and implement simulation infrastructure from scratch, ensuring robust architecture, infrastructure design, and data interfaces.
• Model vehicle dynamics for both rigid and flexible bodies, and apply a solid understanding of numerical integration of dynamical systems.
• Model real-world sensors and effectors/actuators, including realistic error sources and failure modes.
• Integrate simulations with vehicle software running in separate environments, such as flight software on flight computers or on-board vehicle software running in containers.
• Set up and maintain simulations that run in real time against hardware, including hardware-in-the-loop configurations and testbeds.
• Perform simulation and model verification and validation to ensure accuracy, reliability, and consistency with physical systems.
• Implement and manage fault injection within the simulation environment to evaluate system robustness and fault handling.
• Instrument, analyze, and improve simulation performance to ensure real-time frames are not overrun and to support faster-than-real-time analysis.
• Configure simulations to support statistical performance analyses, including Monte Carlo or similar methods.
• Collaborate closely with the flight software team to ensure seamless integration between simulations and operational software.
• Incorporate contact dynamics, terrain interaction, and graphics into simulations to reflect realistic operating conditions for vehicles such as rovers or automotive systems.
• Lead and manage a small simulation team, including planning work scope, defining milestones, and driving the team to meet those milestones.
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship, guiding team members on programming practices, performance optimization, and data interface design.
• Support hardware and vehicle testbed activities by developing and maintaining simulations that accurately represent real-world hardware behavior.
• Contribute to mission-critical design decisions by providing high-fidelity simulation results and analysis for rover operations on extra-terrestrial terrains.

Essential Skills

• 10+ years of experience architecting and building real-time and faster-than-real-time simulations of complex systems such as spacecraft, aircraft, automobiles, or similar vehicles.
• 3 or more years of experience leading a simulation team, including planning work scope, defining milestones, and managing a small team to meet those milestones.
• Strong experience developing individual models, including vehicle dynamics models and vehicle operating environment models.
• Significant experience designing and implementing simulation infrastructure, including end-to-end architecture, integration, and infrastructure design.
• Significant experience with simulation and model verification and validation.
• Significant experience with vehicle dynamics modeling for both rigid and flexible bodies, with a solid understanding of numerical integration of dynamical systems.
• Significant experience modeling real-world sensors and effectors/actuators, including modeling of error sources.
• Experience with fault injection in a simulation environment.
• Strong C++ programming skills.
• Strong Python programming skills.
• Experience integrating simulations with vehicle software running in separate environments, such as flight software on flight computers or on-board software running in containers.
• Experience with real-time simulation of hardware, including hardware-in-the-loop setups and testbeds.
• Ability to understand and manage programming performance, data interfaces, and simulation performance constraints.
• Experience working with contact dynamics, terrain modeling, and graphics within simulation environments.
• Experience running simulations for vehicles with actual hardware such as cars, tractors, or similar systems, especially in real-time contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and run a small team, including managing timelines and reducing latency or dead time in simulation workflows.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience simulating extra-terrestrial rovers.
• Experience modeling suspension systems for vehicles operating on complex terrain.
• Experience with terramechanics modeling, including tuning terramechanics models to balance fidelity requirements with simulation performance constraints.
• Experience working with standard spaceflight models relevant to extra-terrestrial rovers, such as GRGM1200A lunar gravity model, GMM-3 Mars gravity model, Mars GRAM, or similar models.
• Significant experience instrumenting simulations for detailed performance analysis and optimization.
• Experience setting up simulations to support Monte Carlo or similar statistical performance analyses.
• Background in simulations involving contact dynamics and terrain for domains such as automotive or motorsport (for example, experience similar to Formula 1 simulation work).
• Experience working in tandem with flight software teams to co-develop integrated simulation and software solutions.
• Experience with hardware and vehicle testbeds, including simulations that interface directly with physical hardware.
• Comfort working in environments where simulations and infrastructure must be designed and developed from scratch.

Work Environment
This role operates in a dynamic start-up environment that is fast paced and highly collaborative. You will work with a small, focused team where autonomy is key and there is minimal hand holding, giving you significant ownership over simulation architecture and implementation. The work centers on real-time simulation of hardware and testbeds for a manned rover intended to operate on the lunar surface, including different terrains, environments, temperatures, and gravity conditions. You will collaborate closely with flight software engineers and hardware teams, contributing directly to mission-critical systems for a rover that is planned to support crewed lunar missions. The culture emphasizes innovation, scrappy problem-solving, and strong technical leadership, offering the opportunity to build novel simulation algorithms and infrastructure that have a direct impact on the overall system.
Job Type & Location
This is a Permanent position based out of Hawthorne, CA.
Pay and Benefits
The pay range for this position is $145000.00 - $235000.00/yr.
Join a team of best-in-class engineers building the foundation of planetary surface exploration Equity ownership in the company Comprehensive health benefits, including medical, dental, vision, and mental health support 401(k) plan with company match Flexible PTO and parental leave Home office set up reimbursement Weekly lunch stipend, plus complimentary snacks and beverages on-site Once a month social hour on-site with food and drinks
Workplace Type
This is a fully onsite position in Hawthorne,CA.
Application Deadline
This position is anticipated to close on Jun 11, 2026.
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