Director Modeling Simulation Engineer Jobs in California

CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi-product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage-domain dominance. The company's products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. 

CHAOS Industries was founded in 2022 and has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. The company is headquartered in Los Angeles, with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. For more information, please visit www.chaosinc.com.

Role Overview:

As a Modeling & Simulation Engineer: Operations Analysis at CHAOS, you will design, develop, execute, analyze, and validate models and simulations to deliver operational analysis and system performance assessment across defense, national security, and commercial programs. You will have freedom to move rapidly and use your expertise to apply rigorous statistical methods to analyze simulation outcomes, quantify system effectiveness, and communicate actionable insights to technical teams, leadership, and customers. Your work will directly inform critical decisions around sensor performance, mission planning, weapon effectiveness, and platform capability evaluation.

This is an exciting opportunity to be among the first members of a rapidly growing team of professionals dedicated to delivering highly impactful technologies to the defense, national security, and critical industry sectors.

Responsibilities:

• Scope, plan, and execute modeling and simulation efforts and studies aligned to program objectives, managing your competing priorities and timelines effectively.
• Develop, configure, and execute analysis using mission-level models and simulations such as AFSIM, ESAMS, Brawler, Ansys STK, and/or physics-based models to evaluate system and platform performance in operationally relevant scenarios.
• Apply statistical analysis techniques to simulation output data to quantify key performance metrics, identify trends, and characterize system effectiveness.
• Build, refine, and analyze models of sensors, communications systems, aircraft (including unmanned), weapons, and spacecraft within high-fidelity, engagement-level, and mission-level simulation frameworks.
• Develop and maintain Python-based analysis tools and pipelines for data processing, statistical analysis, and visualization.
• Document methodology, assumptions, and findings in technical reports and briefing materials, including data visualizations, and present results to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Collaborate with engineering, business development, and customer teams to translate operational questions into well-structured analytical approaches.
• Maintain software development best practices including version control and reproducible analysis workflows.
• Support programs spanning DoD services, DARPA, intelligence community, and commercial customers.

Minimum Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Aerospace/Software/Computer Engineering, Data Science, Statistics, Mathematics, Operations Research, Physics, or a related field.
• 5+ years of experience supporting defense, intelligence, or advanced technology programs through industry or government employment.
• Significant experience developing analytical tools and applying rigorous statistical methods to interpret and present results.
• Strong proficiency in Python and MATLAB, including standard scientific computing and visualization libraries (such as Pandas, Polars, NumPy, SciPy, Scikit-Learn, Matplotlib, Seaborn, CuPy, or PyTorch).
• Exceptional data visualization skills and comfort with developing CONOPS/OV-1 visuals and briefing packages.
• Proficiency with software development practices including version control and leveraging/validating outputs of AI-assisted coding tools.
• Prior experience in developing/working with rigid body/6 Degrees of Freedom physics simulations.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and deliver analytical products with minimal oversight.
• Comfortable working on Linux-based systems and writing scripts and software for scalability.
• Eligibility to obtain a Top Secret / Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) clearance.

Preferred Requirements:

• Demonstrated experience performing operations analysis studies using combat simulations (such as AFSIM, ESAMS, Brawler, and/or physics-based models), including interpreting results with statistical rigor and briefing key stakeholders.
• Extensive experience in radar sensor performance analysis, including quantification of key metrics and performance parameters, and conducting mission-level analysis of air-to-air, air-to-surface, surface-to-air, and electronic warfare engagements.
• Expertise in developing and validating models of sensors (especially radar), communications, aircraft (including unmanned aerial systems), weapons (especially missiles), or spacecraft in mission-level simulation environments such as AFSIM or Ansys STK.
• Exposure to Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) networking and visualization tools such as MAK VR-Forces, SIMDIS, or similar.
• Exposure to PX4 Guidance, Navigation & Control, and software-in-the-loop simulation with platforms such as X-Plane, Gazebo, or NVIDIA Omniverse.
• Experience supporting U.S. Department of Defense branches and related research labs such as DARPA, ONR, AFRL, or others, and commercial advanced technology programs.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.

Why CHAOS?

• Health Benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company
• Additional benefits: 401k (+ 50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more
• Our Perks: Free daily lunch, 'No meeting Fridays', unlimited PTO, casual dress code
• Compensation Components: Competitive base salaries, generous pre-IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon!) annual bonuses
• Team Growth: 250 employees and counting across 5 global offices

The stated compensation range reflects only the targeted base compensation range and excludes additional earnings such as bonus, equity, and benefits. If your compensation requirements fall outside of the range, we still encourage you to apply. The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. 

#LI-onsite