Jobs in Charlottesville, VA (Now Hiring) — 1,625 open at 416 companies — Page 34

Purpose and Impact:

Our industry-leading intelligence support program informs decision-makers, from ground force commanders to international partners and national security policymakers. Our employees lead the Intelligence community in providing superior Identity Intelligence and regional threat analysis, and developing innovative data-driven solutions, supporting the customer through intelligence analysis and tradecraft proliferation.

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.

Work Schedule: 40 hours per week (Hybrid) (8 hrs / day 5 days / wk).

Essential Responsibilities:

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.

Work Environment, Physical Demands, and Mental Demands: Typical office environment with no unusual hazards, constant sitting while using the computer terminal, constant use of sight abilities while reviewing documents, constant use of speech/hearing abilities for communication and constant mental alertness. Must possess planning/organizing skills and must be able to work under deadlines.

Minimum Requirements (Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities):

• 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.

#javelin

This position is not designated as a safety sensitive position.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and compliant work environment, Amentum is a drug-free workplace and requires all personnel to comply with company drug and alcohol policies as a condition of employment. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of the drug screening process. Please note that this may include pre-hire screening for marijuana, as well as other federally controlled substances due to Amentum’s role as a federal contractor and trusted partner to the US Government.

Other Responsibilities:

Safety - Amentum enforces a safety culture whereby all employees have the responsibility for continuously developing and maintaining a safe work environment. As appropriate, each employee is responsible for completing all training requirements and fulfilling all self-aid/buddy aid responsibilities, participating in emergency response tasks and serving on safety committees and teams.

Quality - Quality is the foundation for the management of our business and the keystone to our goal of customer satisfaction. It is our policy to consistently provide services that meet customer expectations. Accordingly, each employee must conform to the Amentum Quality Policy and carry out job activities in compliance with applicable Amentum Quality System documents and customer contracts. Each employee must read and understand his/her Quality Management and Customer Satisfaction responsibilities.

Procedure Compliance - Each employee must read, understand and implement the general and specific operational, safety, quality and environmental requirements of all plans, procedures and policies pertaining to his/her job.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

Compensation Details:

$165,000 - $175,000

The compensation range or hourly rate listed for this position is provided as a good-faith estimate of what the company intends to offer for this role at the time this posting was issued. Actual compensation may vary based on factors such as job responsibilities, education, experience, skills, internal equity, market data, applicable collective bargaining agreements, and relevant laws.

Benefits Overview:

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to support you and your priorities. Offerings include:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance

• Paid time off and holidays

• Retirement benefits (including 401(k) matching)

• Educational reimbursement

• Parental leave

• Employee stock purchase plan

• Tax-saving options

• Disability and life insurance

• Pet insurance

Note: Benefits may vary based on employment type, location, and applicable agreements. Positions governed by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), the McNamara-O'Hara Service Contract Act (SCA), or other employment contracts may include different provisions/benefits.

Original Posting:

08/25/2026 - Until Filled

Amentum anticipates this job requisition will remain open for at least three days, with a closing date no earlier than three days after the original posting. This timeline may change based on business needs.

Amentum is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. Our hiring practices provide equal opportunity for employment without regard to race, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, ancestry, United States military or veteran status, color, religion, creed, marital or domestic partner status, medical condition, genetic information, national origin, citizenship status, low-income status, or mental or physical disability so long as the essential functions of the job can be performed with or without reasonable accommodation, or any other protected category under federal, state, or local law. Learn more about your rights under Federal laws and supplemental language at Labor Laws Posters.