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Senior MACE Modeling & Simulation Engineer Lead

John H. Northrop & Associates

Hoopes Landing, VA 23604 • $120,000 to $140,000 / yr • 10/23/2026

Engineering , Professional

Job Description

Job Description
Start Date: Immediate

JHNA, CTSi, and EXPANSIA have come together to form a Defense Technology platform focused on delivering high-impact technologies, technology-enabled services and advanced manufacturing solutions to the U.S. Department of Defense and related national security customers. Backed by Falfurrias Management Partners, the platform brings together deep domain expertise across Army, Navy, and Air Force and Space Force programs, digital engineering, systems integration, and specialized manufacturing capabilities.

The combined organization operates as a multi-entity aerospace and defense technology and tech-enabled services and manufacturing enterprise positioned for scalable growth, operational excellence, and long-term value creation.

OVERVIEW
Full-time
Location: The ideal candidate will be local to the Tidewater/Newport News, VA area.
Anticipated Project Duration: Approximately six (6) months, with the potential for extension based on project needs and continued funding.

Aether Aerospace is seeking a Senior Modeling & Simulation Engineer to lead Modern Air Combat Environment (MACE) scenario development, model configuration, and simulation execution for an operations analysis study supporting a commercial aerospace and defense customer.

The study will assess the comparative mission effectiveness of precision-strike and electronic-warfare capabilities in representative U.S. Army aviation, launched-effects, and ground-force scenarios. The technical lead will translate the approved study plan into executable simulations, establish consistent comparison cases, verify model behavior, and provide documented simulation outputs to the study's operations analysts.

This hands-on technical leadership position will work closely with the study lead, analysts, subject-matter experts, and customer representatives.

RESPONSIBILITIES
  • Lead MACE scenario development, model configuration, simulation execution, troubleshooting, and technical documentation.
  • Translate approved operational vignettes into executable scenarios with defined force structures, mission objectives, initial conditions, transition conditions, and termination criteria.
  • Establish a common baseline and configure controlled comparison cases that isolate the effects of the capabilities being evaluated.
  • Configure platform, sensor, threat, weapon, communications, and electronic-warfare representations using available MACE capabilities and approved technical data.
  • Assess MACE's ability to represent required interactions and capture required outputs; identify model limitations, data gaps, and requirements for additional technical support.
  • Develop and execute verification checks covering scenario initialization, entity behavior, event sequencing, engagement logic, and output consistency.
  • Execute repeated runs and sensitivity cases specified by the analysis team. Document observed run-to-run variation, controllable settings, and limits on repeatability.
  • Configure simulation logging and output collection to capture the events and measures required by the approved study plan.
  • Maintain configuration identifiers, model and data versions, input settings, execution status, and output locations.
  • Investigate failed or anomalous runs, document their disposition, and preserve traceability between original and corrected executions.
  • Provide complete, organized simulation outputs and configuration records to analysts for data reduction, statistical analysis, and interpretation.
  • Support analysts by explaining model behavior, investigating unexpected outcomes, and identifying assumptions or limitations that affect interpretation.
  • Contribute modeling content to study plans, technical reviews, verification memoranda, results briefings, final reports, and an authorized reproducibility package.
  • Coordinate technical issues with software vendors and other modeling specialists as needed.
  • Follow applicable data-handling, software-license, export-control, and customer-release requirements.
  • Ability to explain simulation behavior and distinguish modeled events, assumptions, and limitations.
  • Strong technical writing, briefing, troubleshooting, and collaboration skills.
  • Ability to meet applicable access and data-handling requirements for assigned work.
KEY QUALIFICATIONS

Clearance: Active Secret Clearance

Education & Years of Experience: Bachelor's degree in engineering, computer science, operations research, applied mathematics, physics, or a related technical discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.

  • Demonstrated hands-on experience developing, configuring, executing, and troubleshooting MACE scenarios.
  • Experience leading technical modeling work or serving as the principal model developer for a simulation-based study.
  • Working knowledge of military mission modeling, including platforms, sensors, threats, engagements, and mission-level interactions.
  • Experience verifying simulation behavior and assessing model capabilities, limitations, and suitability for an intended study.
  • Ability to execute controlled comparison cases, repeated runs, and sensitivity cases while maintaining consistent configurations and complete execution records.
  • Experience configuring MACE output collection and providing documented simulation results to an analysis team.
  • Ability to explain simulation behavior and distinguish modeled events, assumptions, and limitations.
  • Strong technical writing, briefing, troubleshooting, and collaboration skills.
  • Ability to meet applicable access and data-handling requirements for assigned work.
PREFERRED ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
  • Advanced degree in a relevant technical discipline.
  • Experience with Army aviation, aircraft survivability, launched effects, precision fires, electronic warfare, or mission effectiveness modeling.
  • Experience representing interactions between aviation and ground-force operations.
  • Familiarity with DIS interfaces and simulation interoperability.
  • Experience with MACE scripting, APIs, or C# extensions.
  • Experience supporting commercial or government studies with formal review milestones and controlled technical deliverables.
$120,000 - $140,000 a year
Anticipated pay at 6 months is $57,000-$72,000 based on hours planned with the potential for +25% additional hours.
(This position is anticipated to support a six-month project, with approximately 31.2 hours per week (748.8 total planned hours). Both W-2 employment and 1099 independent contractor arrangements will be considered, subject to applicable requirements. The anticipated duration may be extended based on project needs and continued funding.
Compensation will be based on the agreed-upon employment or consulting arrangement, relevant experience, and applicable contract requirements. The annualized salary figure is provided for reference and does not represent guaranteed earnings for the six-month assignment.)
There are a host of factors that can influence final salary including, but not limited to, Federal Government contract labor categories and contract wage rates, relevant prior work experience, specific skills and competencies, geographic location, education, and certifications.