This position will be located in Draper Cambridge, MA office. The candidate will be responsible for analyzing and designing control algorithms and flight software for atmospheric vehicles and other systems. Autonomous vehicle control designs will be required employing nonlinear dynamic inversion, observer-based inferred air data covering subsonic, supersonic, and hypersonic portions of the flight envelope. Analysis will include assessment of closed loop performance, verification of algorithms and algorithm requirements, and analysis of flight dynamics and trajectory dispersions. The candidate will use time domain simulations, covariance-based methods, and Monte Carlo dispersed analysis to assess and tune system performance and to document analysis results.
Draper is actively seeking candidates to support current and future offensive cybersecurity projects across a variety of domains supporting the United States of America's national interest and advancing cutting edge research in the fields of Reverse Engineering and Vulnerability Research. Due to the nature of delivering mission-critical capabilities and developing novel applications, the ideal candidate should utilize an interdisciplinary approach to problems and leverage knowledge in other domains and fields. The position has the opportunity to contribute to numerous development efforts encompassing: reverse engineering, exploit development, red teaming, offensive cyber security projects, fuzzing, obfuscation, binary uplifting, and program analysis and synthesis.
Draper is looking for an outstanding engineer to design and develop complex, real-time software applications used by state-of-the-art GN&C Systems. The individual’s responsibilities will include:
- Developing unique, real-time, highly reliable system software solutions for challenging problems, with emphasis on Hypersonic Weapon System or undersea GN&C applications
- Contributing and collaborating as part of a team over the mission-critical software lifecycle, from architecture conceptualization, requirements analysis, and software implementation through final evaluation and software release
- Executing software and system-level tests in various engineering environments, including complex software simulations and real-time hardware-in-the-loop environments
- Clearly communicating algorithm designs, software designs, issues, risks, and development plans to managers and customers
The Embedded Software Engineer will provide support to the technical leader in developing/implementing some of the nation's most technically and important challenges with emphasis on aerospace and undersea GN&C applications for commercial and DoD. The candidate should have strong collaboration and teamwork skills as well as experience in real-time operating systems, middleware, and associated embedded processor technologies that support fault-tolerance, circumvention/recovery, and cybersecurity needs in developing secure and assured systems. This position will have responsibility in system lifecycle, from concept development, requirements analysis, software implementation, unit integration and test, platform integration and test, to software release. Experience with the following is essential: software development lifecycle, process, quality, and mission assurance; System Simulator models development; RTOSs; processor architecture; and embedded system design.
Draper is looking for an experienced Government Accounting & Compliance Analyst to join the Government Compliance Team at Draper. This is a highly visible and impactful role that will be relied upon to ensure Draper’s business systems are compliant with DFARS regulations and internal policies and procedures. In addition, the successful candidate will apply professional expertise to execute the day-to-day aspects of government cost accounting. The candidate will perform various tasks pertaining to cost accounting compliance for government contracts, including regulatory review and interpretation for current and proposed contracts, preparation of annual cost-related submissions and supporting documentation, ongoing monitoring and review of transactional data for allowability and allocability, and providing support, training and guidance to ensure Draper complies with applicable regulations.
The position will interface with a nearly all areas within Draper, including Internal Audit, Contracts / Subcontracts, Procurement, Property, Programs, Engineering, Legal, and Business Winning. The right candidate is a highly motivated, energetic, and experienced individual that is keen on making significant and positive impacts to the company.
- Develop, implement and maintain government accounting and estimating policies and procedures that comply with Federal regulations
- Responsible for supporting estimating system compliance; including training, system adequacy, policies and procedures, maintenance of centralized proposal center, real-time estimating compliance testing
- Assist team in researching and interpreting Federal regulations to make determinations of allowability and compliance with regulations
- Provide Government accounting expertise in support of preparation and submission of Government submissions
- Serve as the DCMA cost monitor’s point of contact and Support DCMA cost monitoring activities (quarterly rates, planning, RFIs, and reporting)
- Lead or co-lead external DCMA audits and reviews
- Monitor business systems effectiveness and compliance through audits and reviews
- Provide analysis of results, develop corrective actions in coordination with the Business System owners and key process stakeholders, follow up on corrective action plans and perform audit closeout activities
- Collaborate with the Business System owners, key process stakeholders, group compliance focal points and Internal Audit
- Support proposal pricing for “other than forward pricing” proposals
- Maintain current knowledge on FAR, FAR Supplements, CAS, and DCAA accounting compliance
- Develop, coordinate, and/or conduct compliance-related training as needed
- Ensure adherence to pertinent regulatory requirements and to departmental/company policies, practices, and procedures
- Support financial initiatives/special projects
- Perform all other related duties as assigned
In this role, you will primarily design data structures that enable performant transfer of myriad data types to provide real-time collaboration and situational awareness in a map-based application.
Technologies and skillsets we're targeting:
- Conflict-Free Replicated Data Type (CRDT) structures
- database languages
- Redis
- GraphQL
- web RTC
- gRPC
- cloud-based architecture
- load balancing
- scaling services
Other secondary knowledge areas important for this role:
- API gateway
- federated gateway
- load testing
- content delivery network
- video format translation
- message queues
- containerization
- Docker
- Podman
- orchestration
- Kubernetes
- authentication
- Keycloak
- CAC
- OAuth
- web server communications
- RESTful API development
- web sockets
This position will be located at the Draper campus at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) near Houston, TX. The applicant will join a team of highly motivated Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Engineers in the design, development, test, implementation and operation of spacecraft GNC systems for Earth, Moon, and Mars Missions. We seek applicants who will fit well in this dynamic team while designing challenging GNC systems and developing GNC technologies crucial to Human Exploration missions with our JSC Customer - as well as with customers who value a presence at JSC.
The applicant will be technically involved in various stages in the life cycle of the project including:
- Mission design & architecture trades
- System design & requirement analyses
- GNC algorithms and software development
- GNC system integration & test
The applicant should have strong domain experience in one or more of the following technical disciplines:
- Guidance and Targeting
- Navigation
- Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control Systems
With specialties in one or more of the following:
- Linear covariance analysis
- Rendezvous and prox-ops design and analysis
- Absolute and relative navigation using a variety of sensors
- Sensor characterization and performance analysis
- Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) systems
- Flight control stability and robustness analysis
- Controls design for a variety of space vehicle systems
This position will be located at the Draper campus at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) near Houston, TX. The applicant will join a team of highly motivated Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) Engineers in the design, development, test, implementation and operation of spacecraft GNC systems for Earth, Moon, and Mars Missions. We seek applicants who will fit well in this dynamic team while designing challenging GNC systems and developing GNC technologies crucial to Human Exploration missions with our JSC Customer - as well as with customers who value a presence at JSC.
The applicant will be technically involved in various stages in the life cycle of the project including:
- Mission design & architecture trades
- System design & requirement analyses
- GNC algorithms and software development
- GNC system integration & test
The applicant should have strong domain experience in one or more of the following technical disciplines:
- Guidance and Targeting
- Navigation
- Spacecraft Attitude Dynamics and Control Systems
With specialties in one or more of the following:
- Linear covariance analysis
- Rendezvous and prox-ops design and analysis
- Absolute and relative navigation using a variety of sensors
- Sensor characterization and performance analysis
- Entry, Descent and Landing (EDL) systems
- Flight control stability and robustness analysis
- Controls design for a variety of space vehicle systems
The Draper Program Finance organization is looking for a Program Finance Analyst 3 that will support our Space Systems business area. In this important role the analyst will be part of a high-performing Finance organization and a member of a business area that is providing advanced and autonomous guidance, navigation, and control to fault-tolerant computing and software design solutions that enable space exploration. Draper Program Finance collaborates with our internal and external customers as the business partner of choice to ensure they have the financial acumen, accuracy, and dedicated support to execute significant contracts in support of national defense.
Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will have an analytical approach, a customer focus, strong attention to detail, and will provide superior service to internal partners.
The responsibilities for this role include the following:
Program Performance Support and Reporting:
- Partners with the Program Managers, Control Account Managers (CAMs), and Scheduler to meet program objectives and ensure tasks are completed on schedule and within budget utilizing Earned Value or related processes
- Bridges information and structures from the proposal to support program/contract set up and to initiate baseline development activities
- Partners with CAMs and PM in developing the program cost baseline - the execution of budget/Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB), and supports updates/changes as required, for programs with and without Earned Value requirements, in the applicable tools (ERP or Cobra)
- Supports program cost and schedule performance and/or Earned Value Management, internal and external reporting for the program (IPMR, IPMDAR, or PMR metrics as applicable)
- Partners in the development of the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) / and ensures timely maintenance of the Project-Activity Structure (Charge Numbers)
- Partners with CAMs on the timely completion of the Estimate at Complete (EAC) process, processing time-phased estimate to complete updates, and EAC package support
- Helps quantify and analyze impacts of program-level Risks & Opportunities to the baseline cost, schedule, and the EAC regularly
- Collaborates with cross-functional leaders to analyze performance variance to budget and aid in recovery plans as needed
Program Financial Planning and Reporting:
- Integral team member in developing the program level time-phased planning of cost by month, by cost element, and associated fee to support an overall program level view of revenue for forecasts, budgets, and 5-year planning processes (IBP)
- Provides the financial data inputs, analysis, and applicable variance narrative for Program Management Reviews (PMRs) and Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs)
- Supports the development of program communication/messaging of financial information in PMRs and QBRs
- Supports financial deliverables for site operations as needed
- Collaborates with Program Management and Billings teams to drive timely invoicing and actively support collection of customer receivables
- Actively evaluates and reports the status of program financials (using MOCAS where applicable), the status on funding, and the disposition of funding that is subject to cancellation
- Collaborates with the program team on contract modifications (as needed) and contract closeout activities
- Supports ad hoc tasks, special projects, and internal and external audits as required
The Strategic Systems Program office is seeking a Senior Software Program Manager. This program develops, tests, and delivers the world’s most accurate and reliable guidance, navigation & control (GN&C) systems to enable credible, survivable, and resilient port-to-target solutions to support the US Navy. The program manager will be responsible for the development and implementation of the program plans, schedules, and budget for the Strategic Systems Software area, as well as monitoring program performance and execution to those plans, including identifying and addressing risks and issues as needed. The Software Program Manager will report to the Associate Director of Systems Engineering, Integration, and Test (SEIT).
- Developing, implementing, and executing a strategy for the Software program area within Strategic Systems focused on the design and development of the D5LE2 guidance system.
- Establishing D5LE2 program wide software development processes, policies, and procedures
- Leading the development of multiples levels of software items including boot, operating system, flight software applications, and system test applications
- Working closely with the Guidance Avionics and System Integration teams in the integration of the flight software into the flight avionics
- Interfacing directly with US Navy customer, external program stakeholders, and internal stakeholders to support program alignment and execution.
- Communicating clear program objectives and goals across program areas and help ensure alignment with overall strategy and priorities.
- Developing detailed program plan for program area with clear timelines and milestones that is integrated with overall program plan and schedule.
- Driving program monitoring and control processes by developing and using appropriate data and metrics to measure program performance and facilitating the tracking of program status within area of responsibility.
- Ensuring compliance to internal policies, Trident program requirements, and quality management best practices.
- Fostering collaboration and teamwork among program stakeholders.
- Supporting weekly and monthly program reviews to status execution within program area.
- Developing and building team within program area by providing coaching, mentoring, and training as needed.
Draper is seeking a highly-qualified engineer in navigation and sensor fusion. Relevant experience with sensor systems including electro-optical or infrared cameras, star cameras, radar, GPS, or signals of opportunity navigation is desirable. Hands-on experience in project execution and in designing, developing, and validating real-time algorithms and software is preferred. The engineer in this position will also be expected to provide technical support for internal and external research and development proposals, while staying abreast of the state of the art in navigation, target tracking, and sensor fusion.
Links:
https://www.draper.com/press-release/draper-awarded-contract-support-development-next-generation-trident-ii-weapon-system
https://www.draper.com/press-release/draper-equips-small-uavs-tomorrows-battlefield
https://www.draper.com/news-releases/navigating-stars-makes-comeback
Responsibilities:
This position is part of an 80+member Finance organization that directs the accounting, financial planning, treasury, and government compliance functions for Draper. This important role reports directly to the Assistant Controller and will provide critical support to the business in various accounting related areas.
The Travel Associate will provide full-cycle support associated with employee travel requests and expense reimbursement. Interact with internal and external stakeholders and service providers to ensure compliance with Draper’s Travel policy and related procedures. Work closely with Finance to drive efficiency and cost savings through analytics, reporting, auditing, and training. Assist in keeping all department functions and processes aligned with standard accounting practices and internal controls. Work to add value to the organization through vendor negotiations, best practices, and compliance
Draper is seeking a senior-level technical professional to be Guidance System Software Technical Lead for the Trident Life Extension 2 (LE2) Guidance System. The Guidance System Software Technical Lead will oversee execution of development, integration, test, and release of all mission-critical software for the program including the embedded flight software and the deployed test and support software. The software area will be managed by this lead and a dedicated Program Manager. The lead would have 4+ direct reports. The overall software effort is expected to grow from its current size of 15 FTE to approximately 75 FTE over the next 5 years.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Leading the development of multiple software configuration items including secure boot, operating system, flight software applications, and system test applications
- Ensuring the LE2 Software team consistently meets all technical requirements and milestones, delivering highly-reliable mission-critical software to satisfy program needs
- Establishing modern and effective software development processes (e.g., digital engineering, DevSecOps, simulation-based software verification and validation) for use across the LE2 Program
- Ensuring compliance to Draper-internal policies, Trident program requirements, and quality management best practices
- Providing technical leadership and decision making for the LE2 software team during interaction and collaboration across the LE2 program technical areas
- Working with the Program Manager for LE2 Guidance System Software to establish the overall development plan and schedule for LE2 Software
This position is an integral member of the Procurement department serving both its internal and external customers focused on achieving the organizational strategic objectives while balancing risk and regulatory compliance. Because this role involves a combination of collaborative/in-person and independent work, it will take the form of a hybrid work format, with time split between working onsite and remote.
Responsibilities will include interfacing with potential and current suppliers, writing and releasing Request for Proposals (RFP) and Requests for Quotes (RFQ), reviewing proposed terms and conditions, negotiating agreements, and developing purchase orders in accordance with program specifications and other requirements. Applicant should have a keen interest in procurement/supply chain, excellent communication skills, and the ability to develop recommendations to senior staff to support solutions for moderate to complex problems.
Primary Responsibilities
- Independently facilitating complex competitive procurement processes for goods and services in support of government and sponsor funded efforts.
- Follows established procedures, practices, policies, and federal regulation to execute activities associated with purchasing goods, materials, supplies, and services to ensure terms are in the organization’s best interest.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with program teams, legal, engineering, etc. to prepare and execute complex purchases, to include but not limited to, obtaining, and reviewing proposals/quotations, providing sufficient and compliant justification, and risk management strategy.
- Lead negotiations involving Terms of Purchase, Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) clauses and agreements of moderate complexity.
- Manages heavy a workload to procure a variety of supplies and services.
- Develops new supply sources where vendors are inadequate.
- Assist company program/functional offices in the market research, preparation, and successful execution of an RFP/RFQ in a timely manner.
- Examines bids including performing price and/or cost analysis and ensures conformity with the RFP/RFQ requirements, federal regulation and addresses any deviations.
- Reviews terms and conditions, identify areas that deviate from company policy and document assessment of risk and potential mitigation strategies to be reviewed with the Procurement management team.
- Prepares pre-negotiation recommendations and leads negotiations on price and terms and conditions.
- Develop strong documentation to satisfy departmental requirements and internal and external audits including writing clear, concise, and adequate procurement summaries, documenting source selection, negotiations, and price/cost analysis.
- Prepares and maintains purchasing file for electronic attachment to PO in an ERP system.
- Cross-functional collaboration with other Draper departments (i.e., Engineering, Legal, Accounting, Property, Contracts, Receiving, etc.) on a regular basis.
- Provides procurement counsel and advice to requisitioners.
- Responsible for the timely dissemination of pertinent information to other functional areas and project teams.
- Makes recommendations to supervisor for streamlining the procurement process within Draper.
- Participates in special assignments from supervisor, including but not limited to, internal and external audits.
- Arranges and coordinates supplier visits and in-house meetings.
- Research issues of moderate complexity and provide recommendations for resolution.
- Special assignment requests and cross-training (Contracts, Subcontracts, Procurement, Property) are encouraged.
Draper is seeking a product engineer with experience in transitioning electro-mechanical products to manufacturing. The product engineer role at Draper is less about a specific “product” and more about providing a system-level perspective that will help mature advanced (often first-of-a-kind) prototype designs with an eye towards manufacturability, assimilability, and reliability (i.e. DFx). The role requires the candidate to support interactions between the program’s product needs for internal testing and characterization, subject matter experts and other internal groups like packaging, board assembly and system assembly. This role will also help develop plans for how to get from prototype to low-rate production. Experience with vendor management and an understanding of the DOD Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) process are important.
Specific responsibilities include:
- Supporting cross-functional design engineering teams and managing the integration activities into the prototype stage of the hardware product development cycle.
- Contribute to identifying risk and developing complex mitigation strategies, developing best practices, suggesting alternative solutions, and resolving issues in collaboration with the cross-functional teams.
- Help design the transition path from prototype design to the manufacturing stage.
- Support external vendors and/or internal services as necessary to achieve program goals.
- Understand the product specifications, requirements, and production capability needed to meet those specifications in a low-rate production environment.
- Ability to effectively communicate DFx study findings and proposed design updates to team members.
- Strong organization, planning, and time management skills to achieve program goals.
This position is for a Senior Engineer with 10 years of engineering experience in analysis, simulation and modeling of GN&C systems for military and aerospace applications. This opening seeks an innovative thinker who can take technical ideas and concepts, turn them into simulations that form the requirements and design of high performing GN&C systems, and then develop tests to measure their performance in realized systems. In this position you will work closely with, and lead, teams of engineers that develop, design, and evaluate, dynamic systems that make use of innovative navigation sensors and guidance systems for various vehicles and applications.
Draper Laboratory is seeking talented and motivated individuals to tackle challenging engineering problems in communications. As a Communications engineer, you will be responsible to apply your expertise developing and evaluating novel communication technologies. You will develop and implement special communication systems to enable new capabilities for a wide diversity of applications. You will work in a fast paced environment, collaborating in multi-disciplinary teams with opportunities to learn, grow, and contribute to a variety of projects in this area.
Applicants will assist or lead in the design, development, modeling & simulation, implementation, and evaluation of communication systems and waveform design. They should have experience in either PHY layer topics, waveform design, or channel modeling for demanding applications and various environments.
Specific Responsibilities:
- Developing and implementing signal processing algorithms for comms systems
- Modeling and simulating components of a communication system
- Designing waveforms to meet specific requirements for a given application
- Performing laboratory experiments and evaluating fieldable prototypes of comms systems
The Draper microfabrication facility is in need of an Equipment Specialist. Draper maintains a Microfabrication Facility, utilized by about 50 scientists, engineers, and technicians. The microfabrication work is mainly in the fields MEMS, photonics and microelectronics packaging with program scopes ranging from academic research to fieldable hardware.
Typical responsibilities of the Equipment Specialist are as follows:
- Work in a cleanroom environment and follow appropriate protocols.
- Be part of the team responsible for equipment operation within specification.
- Help to develop and perform routine preventative maintenance on equipment.
- Maintain appropriate records and tracking of tool status, maintenance and issues.
- Coordinate with environmental, health and safety to ensure safe operation of toolset.
- Coordinate with process engineers to troubleshoot tool and process issues.
- Coordinate, schedule and escort vendors on-site as necessary.
- Coordinate with in-house facilities and security as necessary.
- Assist in the installation of new equipment and decommission of outgoing equipment.
- Be available to respond to emergency situations as they may occur.
- Performs wafer fabrication, packaging and assembly operations, such as photolithography, electroplating and chemical analysis, metal deposition, oxidation, reactive-ion etching, deep reactive ion etching, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, wet etching, pick and place, laser drilling, encapsulation and other processes as required, following detailed procedures, under the close supervision of senior technical personnel.
- Under limited supervision, performs cleaning, maintenance and/or calibration of fabrication equipment requiring skilled knowledge.
- With adequate training and supervision, performs recipe execution for production of deliverable hardware. Such work shall involve moderately complex manual skills and the operation of moderately complex automated or semi-automated equipment.
- With limited supervision, carefully documents their own work consistent with work unit policy in hand written form and using common computer-based software such as MS Windows, MS Word, MS Excel, etc.
- At the discretion of supervisor, performs focused training to enable progression into higher skilled positions.
- Other temporary assignments at the discretion of supervisor
Responsibilities:
At Draper, we develop and field technological solutions to meet our customer's most challenging problems. By combining our in-depth scientific expertise with our proven applied engineering capabilities, we offer our teams the opportunities to create novel solutions that make a difference. We are actively seeking a Program Manager with a diverse set of skills to support the Space Systems portfolio of programs for NASA, DoD, commercial industry and the Intelligence community. If you are ready to make an impact and have a strong desire to serve this nation's national security, please consider this opportunity.