Flight Test Engineer, Staff (R6305)

The role

This person will develop, plan, run and analyze ground and flight tests for a next-generation aircraft system. The role works closely with engineering, operations, autonomy, systems integration, product support, manufacturing and customers.

What you will do

• Develop, publish and execute flight test plans, procedures, cards, risk assessments, safety and readiness reviews
• Support integration and test of aircraft systems, payloads, comms/data links, software, ground control systems and mission equipment
• Lead and coordinate pre-flight, flight and post-flight activities, including configuration, instrumentation, telemetry and data collection
• Analyze ground and flight test data to find performance trends, anomalies, root causes and corrective actions
• Coordinate with engineering teams to validate requirements, troubleshoot issues and mature system capabilities
• Lead or take part in test range operations, safety briefings, go/no-go decisions and test setup and logistics
• Document test results, lessons learned, anomalies and recommendations in clear technical reports
• Support aircraft maintenance, configuration control and system readiness
• Create and improve flight test processes, tools, data workflows and efficiency
• Create and maintain ground and air operating limitations requirements

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in science, technology, engineering or math (STEM)
• 8+ years of experience with developmental and/or operational ground and flight test, unmanned/manned aircraft systems, aircraft integration or aerospace systems engineering
• Strong understanding of aircraft systems, flight dynamics, avionics, telemetry, sensors or control systems
• Proven ability to write and execute structured test plans, procedures and reports
• Strong troubleshooting skills in field and/or lab environments
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work across engineering and operations teams
• Willingness to travel and work outdoors, in fields or test range environments
• Overtime and weekend coverage as required
• U.S. citizenship only, with an in-scope active Secret clearance required to start

Nice to have

• 2+ years of experience with developmental and/or operational ground and flight test, unmanned aircraft systems, aircraft integration or aerospace systems engineering
• Experience in Group 4-5 UAS and/or fighter type capability or similar weapons systems
• Familiarity with FAA, DoW and test range flight operations
• Experience with autonomy, navigation, mission planning and Command-and-Control (C2) systems
• Hands-on experience with aircraft maintenance, avionics integration, payload integration and ground support equipment
• Experience with telemetry systems, flight and data logs, sensor data, datalinks and RF systems
• Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate or crewed aviation experience
• Mission Control Room experience using Integrated Analysis & Data System (IADS) or a similar flight test display system
• Experience leading or supporting developmental flight test campaigns from design through planning, execution and reporting

Benefits

• Bonus
• Benefits
• Equity (full-time regular employees)
• Temporary benefits package, applicable after 60 days of employment (temporary employees)

Before you apply

• U.S. citizenship only
• An in-scope active Secret clearance is required to start
• All offers are contingent on a cleared background check and possible reference check
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits

About the company

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company that builds intelligent systems to protect service members and civilians. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation technologies.