Modeling and Simulation Engineer, Software Architect

Responsibilities

• Lead the adoption and implementation of software engineering best practices across multiple of AMA’s Advanced Capabilities and Programs projects
• Establish and maintain coding standards, style guides, and development workflows for the team
• Conduct code reviews and provide mentorship to engineers on software quality and design patterns
• Champion best practices in testing, documentation, and technical debt management
• Serve as the primary software architect for multiple in-house, multidisciplinary engineering analysis tools
• Refactor and optimize scientific codes for maintainability, scalability, and performance.
• Implement object-oriented software designs, modular architectures, and version control (e.g., Git).
• Develop interfaces and workflows for multiphysics simulations (e.g., MOOSE-based applications).
• Create and execute verification and validation (V&V) plans for physics-based codes, including unit and regression tests and benchmark comparisons
• Establish traceability between requirements, test cases, and validation datasets.
• Document assumptions, limitations, and validation results for stakeholder review.
• Prepare codes for formal release by acting as the primary release manager
• Develop continuous integration / continuous development (CI/CD) pipelines for automated builds and testing.
• Ensure reproducibility and auditability of all software artifacts.
• Collaborate with AMA and NASA staff engineers and scientists to translate complex physics models into robust computational implementations.
• Communicate with a multidisciplinary team of engineers and project managers via presentations and technical report writing.

Requirements

• A Bachelor’s degree in Software Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Nuclear Engineering, Systems Engineering, or another related field.
• Strong proficiency in C++, python , and engineering software development.
• Experience with software verification and validation, including automated testing frameworks.
• Familiarity with Git, CI/CD pipelines, and software release processes.
• Ability to understand multidisciplinary engineering and physics-based models in code.
• Experience developing, debugging, and validating physics-based models.
• Experience with high-performance computing clusters and parallel processing.
• Experience in advanced numerical methods, machine learning, and applications of artificial intelligence (AI).
• Technical writing experience and the ability to communicate complex technical concepts to a diverse multi-disciplinary team / audience.
• Ability to independently communicate with and interface with government customers or stakeholders.
• U.S. Citizenship or U.S. Permanent Residency.

Desired Qualifications

• 5+ years of relevant professional work and/or academic research experience.
• Experience working with NASA, DOE, DOD, or other related government agencies.
• Experience with object-oriented programming, Git version control, and software architecture management.
• Experience with system-level or reduced-order modeling, transient simulations, and engineering software / tool development.
• Experience with propulsion system modeling, engine cycle analysis, turbomachinery, thermal management, or advanced energy systems.
• Previous exposure to or direct research related to advanced nuclear reactor systems for in-space applications (e.g., FSP, NTP, NEP, etc.).
• Experience with Linux-based computing platforms.
• Self-motivated with good communication skills and desire to work in a highly motivated team environment.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to set up processes and organize project tasks.