Employment at CPI

Background

The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) is responsible for the production and dissemination of Precise Time, Astrometry, and Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) to the Department of Defense and other branches of the U.S. government for use in navigation. Public versions of these parameters support navigation for users world-wide. As part of these missions, the USNO operates telescopes at multiple locations around the world. It processes the collected data and uses the analysis products to support Navy, Department of Defense and U.S. Government needs, as well as to fulfill its role in the world scientific community for double star, celestial reference frame and geodetic research. One new aspect of the USNO's mission is to create and sustain a navigation reference frame that utilizes satellite orbit ephemerides to enable navigation in GPS-denied environments. To support this work, the USNO is developing and deploying a system that uses observational data to calculate satellite and Near Earth Object (NEO) orbits.

The Work

CPI is seeking an orbital analyst to support USNO’s development of a satellite-based reference frame. The reference frame is derived from observations of Resident Space Objects primarily by optical instruments, but is also designed to support integration of radio frequency and other data sources. The satellite navigation reference frame depends on the ability to convert such data into high-accuracy orbits. The successful candidate will use his or her subject matter expertise in orbit determination to support the development, deployment and testing of the astronomical observing systems and data processing algorithms used to generate the satellite reference frame.

Location, Telework, Benefits, Salary

The position is located at the USNO in Washington, D.C. A small amount of travel may be required. Partial telework may be authorized. CPI offers an excellent package of benefits, including health insurance, retirement benefits, annual leave, sick leave, Federal holidays, tuition assistance and more. Salary will be commensurate with experience.

Required Qualifications

• Ph.D. in astronomy, physics, engineering or related field. (A master's degree plus three years of experience can substitute for Ph.D.)
• At least 7 years’ experience in satellite mission planning or orbital analysis/orbit determination of natural and/or man-made NEOs.
• At least 3 years’ experience converting optical astronomical data of NEOs to high- accuracy orbits. Experience with supplementing optical data with radar datasets is desirable.
• Subject matter expertise in Space Domain Awareness, Space Situational Awareness , or Space Traffic Management.
• Expertise in the development and use of orbit determination systems. Knowledge of Ansys Orbit Determination Toolkit (ODTK) or NASA’s General Mission Analysis Tool (GMAT) is desirable.
• Expertise in the use of high-level software programming languages. Knowledge of Python is desirable.
• Expertise in the use of astrodynamics software libraries (e.g., Standardized Astrodynamic Algorithm Library [SAAL], OreKit).
• Experience with the Linux operating system.
• Knowledge of optical instrumentation and telescope operations is desirable.
• Understanding of software development practices and principles is desirable.
• U.S. Citizenship is required by our contract with the Navy.

How to Apply

Please send your resume in confidence to employment@cpi.com. In the subject line, please write "Orbital Analyst." A cover letter is optional.

CPI is an Employee-owned Company and an Equal Opportunity Employer

Background

The U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) provides precise time, Earth orientation and astronomical data and advice to the U.S. Department of Defense and other organizations, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), various U.S. Federal agencies, international organizations and commercial and scientific users world-wide. The USNO Earth Orientation (EO) Department generates and provides Earth Orientation Parameter (EOP) data, such as the instantaneous rotation rate of the earth, the instantaneous orientation of the Earth's rotation axis in the celestial reference frame, and other parameters. The EO Department collects and processes observations for EOP made by GPS receivers and very long baseline interferometry (VLBI).

The term GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) refers to the U.S.'s GPS and the similar systems of some other nations. The International GNSS Service (IGS)is an organization of international GNSS operators and users that cooperate in the interest of better GNSS. The EO Department's GPS Analysis Division is an IGS Analysis Center. As such, it produces GPS-based and GNSS-based estimates of satellite orbits, Earth orientation parameters and other related data multiple times per day.

Most of the Analysis Division's EOPs are computed as the by-product of orbit determination data from the IGS global network of over 500 GNSS tracking receivers. Monitoring and verifying the accuracy and validity of the IGS combination products is critical to the EO mission.

The Work

The successful candidate will develop techniques and algorithms to monitor and verify the GNSS data series that are ingested into the EOP processing. He or she will also assist in the development of techniques and algorithms to monitor and verify IGS data series which may be ingested into the EOP processes in the future. He or she will also develop techniques to validate the IGS open-source software that is being used to produce some of the publicly available IGS products.

Location, Travel, Telework, Clearance, Salary, Benefits

The position is located at the USNO in Washington, D.C. . Partial telework may be authorized. A clearance is not required before the start of employment but a process for obtaining a secret-level clearance will be started at the beginning of employment. The expected salary range for this position is $100,000 - $135,000 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience. CPI offers an excellent package of benefits, including health insurance, retirement benefits, annual leave, sick leave, Federal holidays, tuition assistance and more

Requirements

• Academic degree in geodesy, geophysics, physics, applied mathematics, computer science, or a related field
• At least six years of experience (bachelor's degree) or three years of experience (master's or doctorate). Study time toward advanced degree may count toward experience.
• Experience in orbit determination and/or parameter estimation.
• Ability to develop and write scripts/software to process and analyze orbits and data in commonly used scientific programming languages in the Linux operating environment.
• Ability to write standard operating procedures and diagnostic manuals for the software and procedures developed in support of research activity
• U.S. Citizenship is required by our contract with the Navy.
• Eligibility to obtain a Secret-level security clearance upon hiring. (An existing clearance is not required to apply.)

How to Apply

Please send your resume in confidence to employment@cpi.com. In the subject line, please write "IGS analysis." A cover letter is optional.

CPI is an Employee-owned Company and an Equal Opportunity Employer

Background

The USNO is responsible for the production and dissemination of precise parameters concerning time, star positions, and the earth's rotation to the Department of Defense (DoD) and intelligence community, other U.S. Government (USG) users such as NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), as well as non-USG civilian and international users. Distribution of these parameters supports GPS navigation, among other applications, an important national and international function. A reliable, secure, maintainable and manageable USNO network is crucial to the production and dissemination of these data products.

The Work

CPI is seeking a systems engineer to support USNO’s scientific mission by gathering and tracking technical requirements. The focus of these technical requirements is to create an effective interface between scientific requirements, scientific computing resources and the Observatory network. These requirements will be used to determine equipment and software purchases to support the sustainment efforts of the USNO.

The successful candidate will:

• Gather, develop and maintain IT requirements from the scientific mission requirements.
• Take technical direction from USNO Requirements Officer and Chief Technology Officer.
• Prepare and maintain associated documentation.

Location, Telework, Benefits, Salary

The position is located at the USNO in Washington, D.C. A small amount of travel may be required. Partial telework may be authorized. CPI offers an excellent package of benefits, including health insurance, retirement benefits, annual leave, sick leave, Federal holidays, tuition assistance and more. The expected salary range is $135,000 - $165,000 per annum, depending on qualifications and experience.

Requirements

• Top Secret clearance required.
• Bachelor’s degree in science, engineering or related field.
• At least 10 years’ experience in program management and requirements tracking.
• At least 3 years’ experience in acquisition programs.
• Experience creating and managing DoD requirements documents such as:
• RTM Requirement Traceability Matrix
• ISCDD Information System - Capability Development Document
• ESRD Enterprise Scientific Requirements Document
• SSS System/Subsystem Specification
• CDD Capability Development Document
• Expertise in the use of project management software such as Microsoft Project, Jira or similar.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills.

How to Apply

Please send your resume in confidence to employment@cpi.com. In the subject line, please write "Scientific Systems Engineer" A cover letter is optional.

CPI is an Employee-owned Company and an Equal Opportunity Employer