2027 PhD Graduate - Reliability Engineer System Realization and Resilience Group

Are you passionate about applying reliability and system engineering principles to analyze and assess the resilience of future strategic weapon systems?

Do you have a strong technical background and interest in reliability engineering, safety engineering, or related experience in leading and evaluating the reliability, availability, maintainability (RAM) and resilience of weapon systems for national defense?

Are you motivated by working on multidisciplinary teams solving some of the nation’s highest-priority security challenges?  

If so, we are looking for someone like you to join the Reliability and Sustainment Engineering Team in the System Realization and Resilience Group (KBR) within the Force Projection Sector. Our team is responsible for enabling the realization of strategic systems, ensuring resilience and specialty disciplines are integrated throughout system development, and supporting credible verification of strategic weapon systems. We lead efforts in systems engineering, system security engineering, test and integration, digital engineering, nuclear command and control, and reliability engineering. As a member of our team, you will provide subject matter expertise to inform reliability strategies, methodologies, and assessments of existing and future strategic weapons systems. We are passionate about making critical contributions to these critically important programs, and you will be a key part of our success. With your help, we will remain at the forefront of weapon systems engineering for the Force Projection Sector.

As a Senior Systems Reliability Engineer...

• Your primary responsibility will be to provide reliability engineering expertise and thought leadership for several strategic deterrence programs.
• You will participate as a reliability engineer on various projects, studies, and technical working groups focusing on requirements development, analysis, concept/technology development, acquisition, risk assessments, test planning and system evaluation.
• You will develop reliability methodologies and analyses to inform and assess the performance and capabilities of existing and future strategic deterrence weapon systems.
• You will deliver formal presentations to sponsors and supporting contractors, and effectively communicate proposed concepts/solutions and analysis results. You will produce reports that bring together concept definitions, requirements, analysis results, and technical recommendations.
• You will identify risk areas to project and program leaders with recommended mitigation strategies that are cost and schedule effective to meet the needs of the program.

You meet our minimum qualifications for the job if you...

• Have a PhD, or PhD to be awarded soon, in Engineering, mathematics, physics or related technical field.
• Have academic or relevant experience performing Reliability, Availability, and Maintainability (RAM) engineering in the design, development or evaluation of critical systems.
• Possess experience in crafting and applying reliability approaches (e.g. FMEA, FMECA, Reliability Block Diagrams, Fault Tree Analysis, Probabilistic Risk Assessment and so forth) to quantify risk and inform program decisions in early concept development, acquisition, requirements analysis, building, test and evaluation, and sustainment.
• Demonstrate knowledge in developing and allocating RAM requirements based on assessment of mission needs in relation to the end user Concept of Operations.  
• Have especially strong verbal and written communication skills, as well as strong critical thinking skills.
• Have shown ability to interact effectively with and lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Are willing and able to travel periodically, including short duration visits to sponsors and stakeholder sites locally as well as to locations outside of the state.
• Hold an active Secret security clearance and are able to get a Top Secret clearance. If selected, you will be subject to a government security clearance investigation and must meet the requirements for access to classified information. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship.

You'll go above and beyond our minimum requirements if you...

• Have demonstrated experience applying reliability engineering for Navy and/or Air Force strategic weapon systems.
• Demonstrate understanding of Department of War (DoW) acquisition lifecycle for supporting RAM activities.
• Have familiarity with reliability and statistical engineering software tools such as Reliasoft, Windchill, Saphire, MADe, JMP, R, SAS, and so forth.
• Have experience developing reliability tools and analysis through code development (R, Matlab, Python, SAS, etc.).
• Have experience applying Bayesian techniques to data analysis for prediction, planning, and evaluation purposes.
• Have experience with Software Reliability analysis and implementation of best practices for ensuring highly reliable and available code.
• Have familiarity with systems engineering software, especially model based systems engineering tools like CAMEO, and DOORS.
• Hold an active Top Secret security clearance.

Why Work at APL?

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) brings world-class expertise to our nation’s most critical defense, security, space and science challenges. While we are dedicated to solving complex challenges and pioneering new technologies, what makes us truly outstanding is our culture. We offer a vibrant, welcoming atmosphere where you can bring your authentic self to work, continue to grow, and build strong connections with inspiring teammates.

At APL, we celebrate our differences of perspectives and encourage creativity and bold, new ideas. Our employees enjoy generous benefits, including a robust education assistance program, unparalleled retirement contributions, and a healthy work/life balance. APL’s campus is located in the Baltimore-Washington metro area. Learn more about our career opportunities at https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, creed, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, occupation, marital or familial status, political opinion, personal appearance, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. APL is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals of all abilities, including those with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate in any part of the hiring process, please contact Accessibility@jhuapl.edu.

The referenced pay range is based on JHU APL’s good faith belief at the time of posting. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as geographic location, work experience, market conditions, education/training and skill level with consideration for internal parity. For salaried employees scheduled to work less than 40 hours per week, annual salary will be prorated based on the number of hours worked. APL may offer bonuses or other forms of compensation per internal policy and/or contractual designation. Additional compensation may be provided in the form of a sign-on bonus, relocation benefits, locality allowance or discretionary payments for exceptional performance. APL provides eligible staff with a comprehensive benefits package including retirement plans, paid time off, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, flexible spending accounts, education assistance, and training and development. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.