About the position
The R&D Verification Engineer joins Ansys Government Initiatives Professional Services team to perform software testing and quality assurance on industry-leading enterprise software solutions that integrate Ansys world class simulation tools like Systems Tool Kit (STK) and Orbit Determination Tool Kit (ODTK) into custom deployments for our Federal Aerospace and Defense customers. This role uses advanced engineering and software skills to assess how well the product meets customer needs for functionality and usability and ensures that product requirements and quality standards are met. The role works closely with other members of the solution and services team and communicates with technical specialists on product issues. The engineer will assess functionality, performance, and usability of complex space and defense modeling tools used by engineers, analysts, and mission planners. This includes verifying orbital mechanics models, satellite mission simulations, maneuver planning, and space situational awareness capabilities. The role also contributes to internal test infrastructure, automated testing processes, and tool development.
Responsibilities
- Design and execute test strategies, test cases and test plans for orbital mechanics and aerospace mission simulation software.
- Identify, document and track software defects, working closely with the development team to resolve them.
- Apply technical expertise and engineering background to test design and decision making.
- Perform functional, regression, performance, and testing in both manual and automated environments.
- Collaborate with developers and domain experts to validate algorithms and mission modeling features.
- Automate test activities at the application and systems levels, focusing on space mission use cases.
- Expand test coverage of aerospace-specific functionality (e.g., orbit propagation, satellite tracking, maneuver planning).
- Responsible for coverage analysis and testing metrics in specific areas, participate in defect management.
- Monitor test results, investigate failures, and perform root cause analysis.
- Work in a variety of computing environments: [list, e.g. Windows, Linux, VM's, Compute Clusters, Cloud].
- Support quality initiatives and ensure product requirements and industry standards are met.
Requirements
- BS in Aerospace Engineering, Astronautics, Systems Engineering, or related field with 5 years of experience, MS with 3 years of experience, or PhD with one year of experience.
- Programming experience in Python, C#, Java, Typescript.
- Understanding of satellite operations, mission design, or orbit determination concepts.
- Willing and able to work with both Windows and Linux environments.
- Exceptional problem-solving abilities and attention to detail.
- Excellent collaboration, communication, and analytical skills.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with STK, ODTK, or similar aerospace modeling tools.
- Experience with containerization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes.
- Coursework or experience in astrodynamics, orbital mechanics, or space systems.
- Familiarity with automated test frameworks such as NUnit, Junit, Web Test Runner, Jest.
- Experience with DoD accreditation frameworks like Air Force RMF.
- Experience with CI/CD practices and version control tools.
- Scripting experience in Perl or other scripting languages.
- Interest in advancing the quality and reliability of aerospace simulation software.
- Active DoD TS/SCI Clearance (or the ability and willingness to obtain a clearance).
Benefits
- Comprehensive range of health, wellness, and financial benefits.