simulation-software-engineer

Simulation Software Engineer

When to Use

Choose discrete-event vs continuous-time (or hybrid) simulation architecture and time-stepping policy
Build physics and kinematics models—rigid body, vehicle dynamics, simplified aerodynamics, constraints
Model sensors and environments—noise, bias, latency, occlusion, weather, terrain, traffic, actors
Design digital twins and scenario runners—parameterized worlds, replay, batch sweeps, regression suites
Define SIL/HIL interfaces—stimulus injection, plant models, clock sync, I/O mapping, fault injection hooks (engineering, not security bench)
Engineer real-time vs faster-than-real-time execution—scheduling, back-pressure, wall-clock coupling
Implement deterministic replay—seed control, ordering, floating-point policy, record/playback contracts
Run calibration and validation against logs, flight/field data, or bench measurements with explicit metrics
Plan Monte Carlo and parameter sweeps—sampling design, coverage, aggregation, failure taxonomy
Outline distributed simulation—federation concepts, time management, bandwidth/latency budgets (concept level)
Integrate game-engine or middleware pipelines when simulation rigor (time, sensors, replay) is required

Pure game development without simulation rigor (determinism, validation, SIL/HIL, sensor truth models) → game/graphics skills as appropriate
Sensor fusion algorithms only—Kalman/graph optimization, track association, estimator tuning without building the sim stack → sensor-fusion-engineer
Autonomy product stack—perception/planning product code, fleet ops, tactical autonomy delivery → tactical-ai-autonomy-developer
Bare-metal MCU firmware, ISR/RTOS on chip, driver bring-up → embedded-real-time-software-engineer
Industrial plant control applications—DCS/PLC scan cycles, OPC UA to historians, BPCS logic → control-software-developer
Formal proof obligations—theorem proving, certified code, assurance case ownership → software-assurance-formal-methods-specialist
HIL security testing—authorized bus fault injection, exploit benches, penetration on hardware rigs → hardware-in-the-loop-security-tester
Service-level profiling, load tests, p99 on servers or browsers without simulation architecture → performance-engineer

Need	Skill
Sensor fusion, estimation, track logic	`sensor-fusion-engineer`
Autonomy product implementation and delivery	`tactical-ai-autonomy-developer`
MCU/RTOS firmware, drivers, WCET on embedded targets	`embedded-real-time-software-engineer`
DCS/PLC control applications and OT integration	`control-software-developer`
HIL security assessment, bus injection for security	`hardware-in-the-loop-security-tester`
Formal methods, proof, assurance cases	`software-assurance-formal-methods-specialist`
Server/UI performance profiling and load tests	`performance-engineer`
OT/ICS plant security and operations	`scada-ics-cyber-security-specialist`
Pre-flight architecture/security/cost validation	`build-validator`

Define simulation purpose (V&V, training, design exploration, digital twin), fidelity tiers, and measurable acceptance metrics.

See references/simulation_software_scope.md.

Select DE/CT/hybrid time management, integrators, stiffness handling, and coordinate frames.

See references/modeling_time_and_physics.md.

Model sensing pipelines, world state, actors, and scenario DSL/runner contracts.

See references/sensors_environment_and_scenarios.md.

Schedule sim loops, real-time coupling, record/playback, seeds, and reproducibility policies.

See references/execution_realtime_and_determinism.md.

Compare sim to measured data; tune parameters; report uncertainty and regression gates.

See references/validation_calibration_and_metrics.md.

Map software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop boundaries, clocks, I/O, and twin synchronization.

See references/integration_sil_hil_and_twins.md.

Simulation architecture brief — paradigm (DE/CT/hybrid), time policy, modules, fidelity tiers, risks
Model catalog — physics, sensors, environment, interfaces, units, assumptions, known gaps
Scenario specification — parameters, initial conditions, termination, pass/fail metrics, seed policy
Determinism and replay contract — what is logged, ordering rules, FP policy, version pins
SIL/HIL interface sheet — signals, rates, latency, clock domains, fault injection points (engineering)
Validation report — metrics vs ground truth, calibration parameters, residual analysis, regression suite
Sweep/Monte Carlo plan — sampling design, coverage matrix, aggregation and failure taxonomy
Distributed sim concept note — federation roles, time management, bandwidth budget (when applicable)

Match fidelity to decision — coarse models for exploration; high fidelity only where metrics demand it
Make time explicit — document clocks, step sizes, event ordering, and real-time coupling assumptions
Separate truth, sensor, and estimator — ground truth in sim ≠ sensor output ≠ fusion output
Invest in reproducibility — seeds, deterministic builds, pinned assets, replay contracts before scaling sweeps
Validate against measurements — calibration is incomplete without stated metrics and holdout data
Keep security and formal peers in lane — route HIL security and proof obligations to named skills
Stay NDA-safe — generic patterns only; no contractor names, controlled data, or export-sensitive payloads

Topic	Reference
Role boundaries, paradigms, domains	`references/simulation_software_scope.md`
DE/CT time, physics, integrators	`references/modeling_time_and_physics.md`
Sensors, environment, scenarios	`references/sensors_environment_and_scenarios.md`
Real-time, determinism, replay	`references/execution_realtime_and_determinism.md`
Calibration, validation, metrics	`references/validation_calibration_and_metrics.md`
SIL/HIL, digital twins, integration	`references/integration_sil_hil_and_twins.md`