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Position Title: Senior Flight Safety Analyst – Debris Risk & Trajectory Analysis (Engineering Technician VI)
Company: Strategic Technology Institute, Inc. (STi)
Location: Vandenberg Space Force Base, CA 93437 (Primary place of performance)
Anticipated Start Date: 1 September 2026
Clearance: Active Secret clearance required EMPLOYMENT NOTE -
• Position is contingent upon contract award and final Government acceptance of proposed Key Personnel. STi is actively identifying highly qualified, cleared candidates for proposal submission and rapid post-award onboarding.
• Period of Performance: 1 September 2026 – 31 August 2027. POSITION OVERVIEW - Strategic Technology Institute, Inc. (STi) is seeking a Senior Flight Safety Analyst to support the U.S. Space Force’s FTT-26 Intercept Mission at Vandenberg Space Force Base.
The mission involves the interception of a target by a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile and a simulated intercept by a Patriot PAC-3 Missile Segment Enhancement (MSE). The selected candidate will provide expert technical assistance in completing a comprehensive Launch Safety Debris Risk Assessment that quantifies total public risk and determines whether the mission remains below established safety thresholds.
This is a highly specialized technical role requiring the ability to independently plan and execute complex analyses, develop technically defensible modeling approaches, evaluate credible failure scenarios, calculate expected casualty risk, and provide actionable data supporting range-safety and flight-termination decisions.
The ideal candidate will have recent, directly relevant, hands-on experience performing flight-safety analysis, debris modeling, quantitative risk assessment, and range-safety criteria development for missile, interceptor, launch-vehicle, weapons-testing, or comparable aerospace missions. PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES -
Responsibilities include:
• Perform the analyses required to develop a comprehensive Launch Safety Debris Risk Assessment for the FTT-26 Intercept Mission.
• Quantify aggregate mission risk and each participating vehicle’s contribution to that risk
• Develop technically defensible results that support public-safety threshold determinations and mission “Go/No-Go” decisions.
• Analyze credible vehicle failure modes, malfunction scenarios, breakup events, off-nominal trajectories, and errant flight paths.
• Apply Government-furnished reliability data and technically supportable industry-standard probabilities when Government data is unavailable.
• Develop and evaluate nominal and off-nominal trajectory models using Vandenberg Space Force Base-specific Government-furnished data.
• Model potential debris fields using appropriate debris size, mass, velocity, dispersion, and impact characteristics.
• Calculate expected casualty values (Ec) and other quantitative measures of public risk.
• Generate probability-of-impact contours using Government-approved models, such as SLD30, or comparable risk-analysis tools.
• Evaluate potential impacts to nearby critical facilities, infrastructure, and other resource-protection areas.
• Produce mission flight-control data, including analyses supporting instantaneous impact point (IIP) termination lines, altitude caps, and related mission rules.
• Prepare a comprehensive risk-assessment report documenting methodologies, assumptions, source data, calculations, results, limitations, and recommendations.
• Deliver supporting trajectory models, debris characteristics, risk calculations, analytical datasets, and technical documentation.
• Verify that all credible failure scenarios are addressed and that analytical products are compatible with Range Safety Officer requirements.
• Coordinate with Government engineers, technical subject-matter experts, mission stakeholders, and Range Safety Officers.
• Complete all reports, models, supporting data, and other deliverables according to the Government-approved schedule.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS -
• Active Secret security clearance at the time required for proposal submission and ability to maintain it throughout performance • Hands-on experience performing launch, reentry, missile, interceptor, or comparable flight-safety analysis • Experience developing, executing, evaluating, or validating trajectory and debris models • Experience conducting quantitative public-risk analysis, including expected-casualty or comparable risk calculations • Experience evaluating vehicle failures, breakup events, malfunction trajectories, off-nominal trajectories, or errant-flight scenarios • Ability to independently plan and execute complex technical analyses and develop defensible methodologies, assumptions, results, and recommendations • Experience preparing Government-facing technical reports, analytical models, supporting datasets, and technical-review responses • Strong mathematical, analytical, technical-writing, and model quality-control skills • Ability to work full-time on-site at Vandenberg Space Force Base during the anticipated period of performance PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS -
• Degree, formal technical education, or advanced training in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, applied mathematics, physics, or a closely related discipline
• Recent experience supporting launch safety, flight safety, missile defense, weapons testing, range operations, or aerospace risk analysis
• Direct experience supporting THAAD, Patriot PAC-3 MSE, missile-defense testing, or comparable tactical missile and interceptor systems
• Experience using TTK, RRAT, DebRA, FSAGIS, or other launch-safety, debris-analysis, trajectory, or casualty-risk tools approved or accepted (i.e. SLD30)
• Experience generating probability-of-impact contours and evaluating risks to critical facilities or infrastructure
• Knowledge of flight-termination systems, tactical FTS reliability assumptions, instantaneous impact point analysis, destruct lines, and altitude constraints
• Experience developing analyses that have undergone Government subject-matter-expert peer review or Range Safety Officer inspection
• Experience working with Government-furnished missile-performance information, FTS specifications, reliability data, anomaly tables, launch-area information, and nominal or off-nominal trajectories
• Previous experience supporting the U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, missile-defense programs, or Vandenberg Space Force Base range operations ABOUT STi -
Strategic Technology Institute, Inc. (STi) supports national security missions across Engineering • MRO • Logistics • IT & Cybersecurity • Program Control. STi is a minority-owned Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) focused on delivering flexible, mission-driven solutions that help Federal customers solve complex operational challenges. WORK ENVIRONMENT -
• Primary place of performance is Vandenberg Space Force Base, California
• Work supports a high-visibility U.S. Space Force missile-defense and launch-safety mission
• Position requires coordination with Government technical experts, mission stakeholders, and Range Safety Officers
• Work may involve classified information and controlled Government-furnished technical data
• Schedule flexibility may be required to meet mission milestones, technical-review periods, and Government-approved delivery dates Keywords: senior flight safety analyst, engineering Technician VI, launch safety, flight safety, flight safety analysis, launch debris analysis, debris modeling, debris risk assessment, trajectory modeling, trajectory analysis, quantitative risk assessment, expected casualty, Ec, range safety, missile defense, THAAD, Patriot PAC-3 MSE, SLD30, flight termination system, FTS, instantaneous impact point, IIP, destruct limits, probability of impact, Vandenberg Space Force Base, active Secret clearance EEO: STi is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, protected veteran status, or any other protected status.