Game Science Jobs in Virginia (NOW HIRING)

Description

 We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Wargame Designer to lead the design, development, and execution of advanced red-on-green military wargames supporting U.S. Army training, experimentation, capability development, and operational analysis. The ideal candidate will combine expertise in military doctrine, operational art, adversary tactics, game theory, simulation design, and decision science to create realistic and analytically rigorous wargaming environments.

This role will work closely with Army stakeholders, military subject matter experts, data scientists, modelers, and software development teams to develop wargames that accurately represent friendly and adversary decision-making, force employment, operational constraints, and battlefield dynamics across multi-domain operations.

The successful candidate will be capable of translating military doctrine and operational concepts into engaging and defensible game mechanics that support learning, experimentation, and decision advantage.

Key areas include:

Wargame Design & Development

• Design, develop, and refine red-on-green operational and tactical wargames for U.S. Army sponsors.
• Create game systems that faithfully represent land, air, maritime, space, cyber, and information domain interactions.
• Develop behaviors, decision models, and courses of action based on current threat doctrine, force structure, and capabilities.
• Incorporate Army doctrine, concepts, planning methodologies, and mission command principles into game mechanics.
• Design adjudication methods, combat resolution systems, and campaign-level decision frameworks.

Game Theory & Analytical Rigor

• Apply game theory, decision science, and strategic competition models to represent complex military interactions.
• Develop opponent decision models using concepts such as:
  • Nash equilibrium
  • Sequential games
  • Signaling and deception
  • Risk-based decision making
  • Utility analysis
  • Multi-agent competition frameworks
• Evaluate player decisions and game outcomes to generate actionable insights for Army leadership.

Military & Operational Analysis

• Develop scenarios reflecting near-peer competition, large-scale combat operations, irregular warfare, and multi-domain operations.
• Translate operational plans, concepts of operation (CONOPS), and military scenarios into playable game structures.
• Support Army experimentation and concept development through objective analysis and recommendations.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Facilitate workshops, design sessions, tabletop exercises, and operational wargames with military leaders and subject matter experts.
• Present game concepts, design rationale, and analytical findings to senior government stakeholders.
• Collaborate with Army centers of excellence, program offices, operational units, and training organizations.

Digital & Simulation Integration

• Support integration of wargames with modeling and simulation environments.
• Collaborate with software and AI teams to develop digital implementations of game mechanics.
• Assist in development of AI-enabled Red Force decision agents and adversary behavior models.

Requirements

• 8+ years of professional experience in one or more of the following:
• Professional military wargaming
• Defense analysis
• Operations research
• Military simulation development
• Strategic planning
• Commercial strategy gaming
• Demonstrated experience designing adjudicated, seminar, matrix, tabletop, computer-assisted, or simulation-based wargames.
• Experience supporting U.S. Army, Joint, DoD, or NATO organizations.
• Deep understanding of:
• U.S. Army doctrine
• Multi-Domain Operations (MDO)
• Mission command
• Operational art and campaign design
• Threat doctrine and adversary force employment
• Strong knowledge of military planning processes, including:
• MDMP
• Joint Planning Process (JPP)
• Course of Action analysis
• Expertise in applying game theory principles to competitive decision environments.
• Experience designing complex game mechanics and adjudication systems.
• Familiarity with military modeling and simulation tools.
• Knowledge of probability, statistics, and operational analysis techniques.
• Ability to document game rules, mechanics, scenarios, and analytical outcomes.

Clearance Required:

• TS/SCI

Minimum Education:

• High School Education

Minimum Years of Experience:

• 12 yrs relevant experience, 8 yrs w/ Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Qualifications:

• Former military officer, warrant officer, or senior non-commissioned officer with operational planning experience.
• Advanced degree in Operations Research, Strategic Studies, International Relations, Applied Mathematics, or related field.
• Experience supporting Army Futures Command, TRADOC, Centers of Excellence, ARCIC, Joint Staff, or combatant commands.
• Experience designing AI-enabled adversary behaviors.
• Familiarity with:
• JCATS
• AFSIM
• OneSAF
• JTLS
• VBS
• Other defense simulation environments
• Publications or recognized contributions in military gaming, decision science, or strategic analysis.