Principal Research Scientist - Space Systems Research (SDA/C2/Digital Twins)

Join the Peraton Labs Space System Research team and support advanced research and leading-edge technology development in areas such as space domain awareness, command and control, multi-domain operations, cislunar space, and space digital twins.  We are seeking a highly skilled technical leader to research, design, and develop innovative technical solutions that address complex customer needs, advance research programs, and transition new technologies to Peraton programs while directly supporting bid and proposal efforts. This role combines deep technical expertise with leadership in program execution, customer engagement, business capture, and proposal development activities to assist in growing a new area of business for Peraton Labs.

Key responsibilities may include:

Technical Leadership

• Research, design, and develop innovative software and system architectures to solve complex mission and business problems.
• Serve as the technical authority supporting program teams throughout the engineering lifecycle, from concept development through deployment.
• Evaluate emerging and existing technologies and recommend solutions aligned with customer needs and long-term organizational strategy.
• Lead technical execution across programs, ensuring architectural integrity, performance, scalability, security, and reliability.
• Guide engineering teams in implementing architectural designs and best practices.
• Identify and mitigate technical risks, driving trade studies and design decisions.
• Support the transition of technologies from IRAD, R&D, or prototype efforts into Peraton programs across the company.

Customer Engagement & Business Capture

• Engage directly with customers to understand mission needs, operational constraints, and technical requirements.
• Collaborate with business development teams to shape technical approaches that support capture strategies.
• Support white papers and proposals by developing architectures, technical narratives, system diagrams, and cost-informed solutions.
• Present technical concepts and solutions to customers, stakeholders, and leadership.

Required Qualifications:

• 16+ years of experience with BS/BA, 14+ YOE with MS/MA, or 10+ YOE with PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Astrophysics/Astrodynamics, or related fields
• 10+ years of recent experience as a software architect and/or engineer
• 5+ years of experience working in the space domain, with a particular emphasis on space domain awareness for commercial and national security applications
• Proven experience designing complex, distributed, or mission-critical systems and then leading teams through execution
• Experience supporting bids, proposals, and capture activities
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with a proven ability to multitask and manage numerous competing demands on your time
• Must be self-motivated, independent, detail oriented, and a responsible team-player
• Strong written and oral communication skills with an ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Must be local to and capable of working on-site in a hybrid capacity out of our Chantilly, VA or Herndon, VA locations, with the ability to travel regularly to other offices or customer sites within the DMV area
• This position requires occasional travel within the United States to support customer meetings and conferences
• U.S. Citizenship and the ability to maintain an active/current TS/SCI clearance is a requirement for this position

Desired Qualifications:

• Experience applying orbital mechanics/astrodynamics principles to the development of operational software for space applications, including in-depth understanding of the math/physics involved
• Experience leveraging artificial intelligence tools and technologies to design and develop solutions
• Ability to anticipate problems and take decisive action and an ability to find innovative ways to solve problems
• Experience transitioning R&D or prototype technologies into production or programs of record
• Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE), cloud architectures, DevSecOps, or modern software frameworks