Aerospace Engineer Level IV (Space Defense)

Location: Washington Navy Yard, District of Columbia, United States. On-site/hybrid work supporting government labs, integration facilities, and offices, with occasional travel to test and launch sites.

Basic compensation: $154,000–$211,700 per year for the Washington, DC area. Additional bonuses, incentives, and relocation benefits may be available.

Company

hirify.global provides engineering and advanced technology solutions for intelligence, national security, space defense, logistics, operations, science, program management, mission IT, and cybersecurity programs.

What you will do

• Design, analyze, and evaluate aerospace vehicle configurations against mission requirements.
• Conduct multidisciplinary trade studies across propulsion, structures, thermal, guidance, navigation and control, RF, power, and payload systems.
• Perform aerodynamic, thermal, and structural analyses using industry-standard tools.
• Develop and simulate aerospace system models and prototypes, including support for prototype hardware development and testing.
• Define and allocate program-level requirements, maintain traceability, and support integration, test, and evaluation activities.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams on system performance, mission planning, technical briefings, and system architecture development.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering or a related discipline; a master’s degree is preferred.
• 8–12 or more years of aerospace engineering experience, including aerospace system design, analysis, and modeling.
• Proficiency with MATLAB, ANSYS, NASTRAN, and CFD tools.
• Experience with trade studies and performance analysis, plus familiarity with spacecraft, launch vehicles, or high-speed systems.
• Experience supporting government programs and an active Secret clearance.
• On-site/hybrid availability in Washington, DC and occasional travel to test and launch sites are required.

Nice to have

• Active TS/SCI clearance or eligibility.
• Experience with flight hardware development and testing.
• Knowledge of hypersonic or advanced aerospace systems.
• Familiarity with MBSE or digital engineering tools.
• Leadership or task-level management experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Collaborative and technically challenging environment focused on innovation.
• Work on national security and space defense programs with significant mission impact.
• Potential bonuses, commissions, sign-on bonuses, relocation benefits, and short- or long-term incentives depending on the role and contract.
• People-first workplace guided by hirify.global’s Zero Harm culture and Belong, Connect and Grow principles.