Modeling and Simulation Engineer - Software Architect

Job Description:

Job Brief:

Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc. (AMA) is seeking a Modeling and Simulation Engineer for our Denver, CO or Huntsville, AL location. This position is capable of a hybrid work environment.

AMA Description:

Analytical Mechanics Associates, Inc., (AMA) is proud of our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. AMA is a small business specializing in aerospace engineering, science and business analytics, information technology, and visualization solutions. AMA combines the best of engineering and mathematics capabilities with the latest in information technologies and visualization to build creative solutions. Headquartered in Hampton, VA, AMA has operations in Huntsville, AL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Mountain View, and Edwards Air Force Base, CA. We offer a competitive salary. Our website (ama-inc.com/careers) describes our corporate values and how they apply to the professional success and growth of our employees.

Job Description:

AMA is accepting applications for a motivated engineer to support the development, verification, and release of advanced modeling and simulation tools within AMA’s Advanced Capabilities and Programs group at the Huntsville, AL or Denver, CO location. This role combines software engineering best practices, physics-based problem solving, and V&V expertise to ensure that internally developed codes meet rigorous standards for accuracy, reliability, and usability while also promoting software engineering excellence across the team. The chosen candidate should also have experience in software architecture and the modeling of partial differential equations. Primary work responsibilities will focus on supporting multidisciplinary engineering analyses of novel space nuclear designs for fission surface power (FSP), nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP), and nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) systems in support of NASA’s Advanced Nuclear Technologies Office (ANTO) under the Space Reactors Division (SRD). In addition to completing the application on our website (www.ama-inc.com/careers) candidates selected for an interview will be required to provide two or more references. The compensation for this position is expected to be between $90k – 140k and is commensurate with experience and education.

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:

Not all desired qualifications are necessary or expected from applicants. Tasks will be assigned based on team needs and the applicant’s interest, niche skills, and strengths.

• 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.

Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA) is proud of our customer relationships, our diverse and dynamic work environment, and our employees' career satisfaction. AMA is a small business with a wide reach; headquartered in Hampton, VA, AMA has operations in Greenbelt, MD; Huntsville, AL; Dallas and Houston, TX; Denver, CO; Mountain View, CA; and Edwards Air Force Base, CA. With over 60 years of experience, AMA specializes in aerospace engineering, science, analytics, information technology, and visualization solutions. AMA combines the best of engineering, science, and mathematics capabilities with the latest in information technologies, visualization, and multimedia to build creative solutions. We offer competitive salaries and a substantial benefits package, including but not limited to paid personal and federally recognized holiday leave, salary deferrals into a 401(k)-matching plan with immediate vesting, tuition reimbursement, short/long term disability plans, and a variety of medical, dental, and vision insurance options.

AMA is committed to the professional growth of every employee, understanding that the successes of our employees drive our success. We provide a work environment that is engaging, collaborative, and supportive. To learn more about our company, please visit our website at www.ama-inc.com/careers and follow us on Facebook and LinkedIn.

AMA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate against any applicant for employment or employee because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic prohibited under federal, state, or local laws.