Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or related field with 12+ years of experience, or Master's with 10+ years, or PhD with 7+ years
Active DoD TS/SCI clearance required
Deep knowledge of air and missile defense systems, including sensor architectures and threat trajectories
Experience modeling radar phenomenology and RF sensing systems
Hands-on experience with missile flight dynamics and trajectory behaviors
Proficiency in MATLAB or Python for modeling and integration
Familiarity with Systems Tool Kit (STK) and Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration and Modeling (AFSIM) is a plus
Responsibilities
Build high-fidelity models of threat trajectories and multi-spectral signature behaviors
Develop radar phenomenology models for realistic engagement scenarios
Create synthetic datasets for AI/ML training to improve model robustness
Collaborate with experts to ensure simulation fidelity meets operational requirements
Implement sensing system models within frameworks like STK and AFSIM
Provide technical leadership on modeling requirements and simulation architecture
Integrate threat modeling into larger analysis environments for DoD customers
Benefits
Comprehensive health and wellness benefits
Financial benefits including potential annual bonuses and equity
Opportunities for professional development and growth
Collaborative work environment with access to government stakeholders
Engagement in impactful projects that contribute to national security
Full Job Description
Descriptions & Requirements
Job Description and Requirements
***Please note that you will primarily be working on site with a customer in Huntsville, AL along with some travel to Dayton, OH and Exton, PA***
You Are
You have spent a decade or more building and validating models that represent the real physics of missile defense systems, not simplified abstractions that look good in PowerPoint. You understand that a radar signature is not just a number in a spreadsheet, it is a time-varying, multi-spectral phenomenon shaped by flight dynamics, staging events, and sensor geometry, and you know how to represent that complexity in simulation environments that people actually trust.
You have sat in rooms with government customers, sensor engineers, and algorithm developers, and walked out with a shared understanding of what fidelity actually means for the problem at hand. You do not wait for perfect data. You build models from what exists, validate against what you can measure, and document the assumptions so the next person knows where the edges are.
You think in kill chains. You know that a high-fidelity trajectory model is only useful if it feeds realistic observables into the sensor sim, which feeds track data into the fusion layer, which informs the battle management decision. You have worked across that stack, and you know where the seams are.
At Ansys Government Initiatives, you will work on air and missile defense simulations that shape how the DoD evaluates threats, tests algorithms, and trains AI systems. The work is technical, the stakes are real, and the team expects you to lead. What You'll Be Doing
Build high-fidelity models of threat trajectories, including staging events, flight dynamics, and multi-spectral signature behaviors across RF, IR, and other sensor-observable spectra
Develop and integrate radar phenomenology models that represent how different radar bands and sensor architectures detect, track, and characterize targets in realistic engagement scenarios
Support the creation of synthetic datasets for AI/ML training, including target-present and target-absent scenarios designed to reduce algorithmic bias and improve model robustness
Collaborate with signature characterization experts, sensor engineers, and government stakeholders to ensure simulation fidelity aligns with operational requirements and physics-based constraints
Implement sensing system models within frameworks like STK and AFSIM, representing track fusion, discrimination logic, and custody management across the missile defense kill chain
Provide technical leadership on modeling requirements, simulation architecture, and fidelity tradeoffs for emerging programs involving generative simulation and AI-enabled battle management
Integrate threat modeling and sensor simulations into larger analysis and experimentation environments used by DoD customers for system development and algorithm evaluation
The Impact You Will Have
Your models will directly inform how the DoD evaluates next-generation air and missile defense systems, shaping acquisition decisions and operational concepts
The synthetic datasets you generate will train AI/ML systems used for real-time threat discrimination, sensor fusion, and battle management decision support
Your expertise in radar phenomenology and signature modeling will ensure that simulations reflect the actual physics of sensing, not oversimplified assumptions that break under scrutiny
The simulation environments you build will enable government customers to test algorithms, evaluate system performance, and conduct mission-level analysis without relying solely on live flight tests
Your technical leadership will set the standard for fidelity and rigor across AGI's missile defense modeling efforts, influencing how the team approaches complex multi-domain problems
The frameworks you implement will support rapid experimentation and iteration, accelerating the development cycle for AI-enabled defense systems
Your work will contribute to the national security mission by providing trusted modeling and simulation capabilities that support critical defense programs
What You'll Need
Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or related field with 12+ years of professional experience, or Master's with 10+ years, or PhD with 7+ years
US citizen required with an active DoD TS/SCI clearance
Deep domain knowledge in air and missile defense systems, including sensor architectures, threat trajectories, and multi-spectral signature modeling
Demonstrated experience modeling radar phenomenology and RF sensing systems, including understanding of radar bands, target detection, and sensor-observable behaviors
Hands-on experience with missile flight dynamics, staging events, and how trajectory behaviors impact sensor observables across the engagement timeline
Proficiency in MATLAB or Python for building models, scripting interfaces, and integrating with DoD systems and simulation frameworks
Experience with Systems Tool Kit (STK) and Advanced Framework for Simulation, Integration and Modeling (AFSIM) is a strong plus, as is familiarity with track fusion, discrimination algorithms, and battle management concepts
Who You Are
You can explain a complex radar phenomenology tradeoff to a government program manager in two sentences without losing the technical nuance, and then turn around and debug a MATLAB script with a junior engineer
You have worked with real-world radar or EO/IR data, not just textbook examples, and you know the difference between a model that validates against measured data and one that just looks plausible
You are comfortable operating in ambiguity, building models when requirements are still being defined, and documenting your assumptions so others can build on your work
You push back when a simulation requirement does not align with the physics or when a dataset generation plan will introduce bias that breaks the AI model downstream
You manage multiple technical efforts simultaneously, keeping stakeholders aligned, timelines on track, and deliverables moving without sacrificing technical rigor
You bring a point of view on what good modeling looks like, and you are not afraid to advocate for the right approach even when it is harder or takes longer
The Team You'll Be Part Of
You will join the Ansys Customer Excellence team within Ansys Government Initiatives, a group focused on advanced modeling and simulation for aerospace and defense customers. The team works closely with DoD laboratories, government organizations, and defense research facilities on air and missile defense programs. You will collaborate with subject matter experts in signature characterization, sensor phenomenology, and threat modeling, and you will work across multiple technical domains including physics-based modeling, sensing systems, and algorithm development. The Huntsville, AL location puts you in the heart of the missile defense community, with direct access to government customers and operational stakeholders.
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In addition to the base salary, this role may be eligible for an annual bonus, equity, and other discretionary bonuses. Synopsys offers comprehensive health, wellness, and financial benefits as part of a competitive total rewards package. The actual compensation offered will be based on a number of job-related factors, including location, skills, experience, and education. Your recruiter can share more specific details on the total rewards package upon request. The base salary range for this role is across the U.S.
About Synopsys Inc
Synopsys, Inc. is an American electronic design automation company that focuses on silicon design and verification, silicon intellectual property and software security and quality. Products include logic synthesis, behavioral synthesis, place and route, static timing analysis, formal verification, hardware description language (SystemC, SystemVerilog/Verilog, VHDL) simulators, as well as transistor-level circuit simulation. The simulators include development and debugging environments which assist in the design of the logic for chips and computer systems.
