Senior Simulation Engineer (Modeling & Simulation) at Code Metal

Code Metal is the leader in automated software engineering, specializing in provably correct code for defense and aerospace clients like the U.S. Air Force, L3Harris, RTX, and Toshiba. Their mission is to modernize legacy systems, optimize performance, and accelerate prototypes to production using AI-constrained, formally verified software.

About the Role:

The Modeling & Simulation team is developing a next-generation wargaming and decision-support platform for the Department of War (DoW). This platform enables multi-billion-dollar force-design decisions by translating operational questions into extensible, mission- and campaign-level simulations trusted by government users.

In this hands-on software engineering role, you’ll:

• Design and implement mission- and campaign-level simulation capabilities in modern C++ and Python.
• Build and extend event-driven, discrete-event, agent-based, and constructive simulation frameworks.
• Own core framework functionality, including:
• Event scheduling, simulation time management, state transitions
• Platform abstractions, scenario execution, data collection, deterministic replay
• Develop models for platforms, sensors, weapons, communications, electronic warfare, jamming, command and control, logistics, and environmental effects.
• Extend AFSIM and comparable simulation environments via C++ plugins, framework services, SDK integrations, new platform types, and reusable model interfaces.
• Translate operational concepts, system specifications, and subject-matter expertise into maintainable software models with explicit assumptions and testable behavior.
• Modernize legacy campaign and mission-analysis tools, integrating them into a coherent simulation architecture.
• Build scenario-generation, Monte Carlo, sensitivity-analysis, campaign-execution, and evaluation workflows.
• Scale simulations across developer workstations, on-premises infrastructure, and cloud compute while preserving reproducibility and model provenance.
• Connect constructive simulations with distributed, operational, hardware-in-the-loop, or human-in-the-loop environments.
• Establish verification and validation practices, reference scenarios, regression suites, and quantitative measures of model credibility.
• Collaborate directly with government, Air Force, and DoD stakeholders to deliver usable capabilities quickly.
• Integrate the simulation kernel with physics, backend, geospatial, AI, and product teams into a larger interactive platform.
• Lead design and code reviews, mentor teammates, and improve architecture, documentation, testing, and release practices.

What We’re Looking For:

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of professional software-development experience in simulation, autonomy, robotics, game-engine, digital-twin, or similarly complex systems.
• Strong production experience in modern C++, with Python proficiency for tooling, orchestration, analysis, or automation.
• Hands-on experience developing or extending a simulation framework (not just configuring tools or analyzing output).
• Experience with event-driven, discrete-event, agent-based, constructive, or distributed simulation architectures.
• Ability to represent complex real-world entities, interactions, rules, and edge cases as clear software abstractions.
• Experience building plugins, SDKs, reusable model interfaces, framework services, platform types, or extension mechanisms.
• Strong understanding of software architecture, data structures, algorithms, APIs, testing, debugging, and performance engineering.
• Experience making substantial changes within a large existing codebase while maintaining ongoing delivery.
• Experience with model verification, validation, calibration, or regression testing.
• Ability to turn ambiguous operational or technical requirements into executable engineering plans.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including documentation of model assumptions, limitations, interfaces, and intended use.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in computer science, engineering, applied mathematics, operations research, physics, or a related discipline.
• Active Secret clearance or eligibility to obtain one.

Strongly Preferred:

• Direct experience with AFSIM plugins, framework extensions, event infrastructure, or custom platform types.
• Experience with behavior trees, finite state machines, and planning languages (e.g., PDDL) in mission planning and behavior modeling.
• DoD acquisition and mission-analysis program support (Air Force, Space Force, joint, or broader DoD).
• Experience developing models for sensors, weapons, electronic warfare, jamming, communications, logistics, or command and control.
• Legacy modeling or campaign-analysis system modernization into C++.
• Experience designing a simulation framework, event stack, plugin architecture, or campaign system from the ground up.
• Familiarity with HLA, DIS, OneSAF, JSAF, NGTS, STK, or other constructive/distributed simulation environments.
• Experience spanning operational and constructive simulation.
• Active TS/SCI clearance.

Principal Level Expectations (10+ years):

• 10+ years of experience.
• Engineering Craft & Code Quality: Sets quality and correctness standards across the department; mentors others through example; improves automated systems and practices.
• Architecture & Technical Knowledge: Provides architectural guidance, invents domain-specific paradigms (e.g., translation, optimization), and is a key resource for major systems.
• Delivery, Scoping & De-risking: Contributes to the company’s technical roadmap, gives reliable estimates for large initiatives, and ensures pragmatic scoping.
• Technical Leadership & Mentorship: Drives architectural reviews, mentors mid/senior staff at scale, and influences cross-departmental technical outcomes.