Ground Support Engineer

Description

The role sits in Albacete, Spain, within a Center of Excellence for helicopter production at a global aerospace company, and is a permanent position at professional level in the testing job family.

Albacete is a compact city where daily travel is short. It is described as safe, easy to get around, comfortable and well connected, with a good standard of living at a reasonable cost.

The team is young and collaborative. The company is a global leader in helicopter production and has long-term projects that offer room to develop.

You will join a modern, fast-moving setting where your ideas are welcome and you help shape the next generation of aerospace systems.

You will meet people from across the industry and build a wider professional network.

The company values teamwork and diversity, with work spanning ground, air and space.

Responsibilities

• Plan flight tests and communicate the plan to the people involved.
• Organise flight test dispatch and make sure all test documents are ready, including onboard and regulatory flight permits.
• Monitor test runs to support their maturity and safety.
• Prepare and coordinate every part of a test campaign.
• Operate test equipment such as telemetry and radio.
• Review and refine test requests and schedules, prepare teams to run tests with stakeholders, and track the certification paperwork linked to flight tests.
• Prepare ground and flight test plans for prototype and production helicopters with the Test Coordinator and Test Squad Leader, and communicate them.
• Bring together all testing activities on the aircraft and involve stakeholders inside and outside the Flight Test Department.
• Review and refine ground and flight test specifications and orders, and check whether the required tools, equipment and test infrastructure are feasible.
• Prepare flight test campaigns at various sites, mainly in Europe, and help the Test Coordinator agree terms, conditions and costs.
• Support the prototype shop in preparing lay-ups.
• Make sure each test helicopter, including its test equipment and flight test instrumentation, is configured correctly for its purpose and documented properly.
• Issue the documents needed for flight clearance approval.
• Make sure all flight test documents are available, including onboard and regulatory flight authorisations.
• Take part in testing phases to keep the test schedule on track.
• Support ground and flight test operations for on-site and off-site campaigns when needed.
• Where needed, run telemetry from the ground during critical test flights.
• Act as the link between the extended Flight Test Integrated Team and internal Flight Test Department groups such as data analysis, flight test instrumentation and data reduction.
• Help write ground and flight test reports.
• Coordinate delivery of certification test documents.
• Handle administrative work for flight tests, including flight hour statistics, failures, reports and documentation.

Requirements

• An engineering degree at bachelor's or master's level, or an equivalent qualification, ideally with an aeronautical or aerospace focus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a rigorous and systematic approach to continuous improvement, and the ability to work well with many stakeholders under tight deadlines.
• Clear communication in speech and writing.
• Flexibility and availability, and the ability to adapt to complex, changing situations.
• Advanced English and Spanish. French and/or German is highly valued.
• Knowledge or experience in engineering systems, vehicle systems and avionics, engineering requirements, system design and development, systems integration, verification and validation (V&V), airworthiness and flight safety.
• Knowledge of rotary-wing platforms, complex avionics systems such as HELIONIX, and NH90 or H145 fleets is a strong plus.
• Experience or knowledge in systems integration, weaponry, testing, and certification or qualification under EASA or other regulations is highly desirable.
• Aviation hobbies and related experience, such as a PPL, UAS or gliding, are an asset.
• You must be aware of possible compliance risks and act with integrity, which the company treats as the basis for its success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Conditions

Permanent contract, professional level, testing job family, based in Albacete, Spain, with the company Helicopters España, SA as the employer.

The company supports flexible working arrangements where possible.

The company welcomes applications from all backgrounds and is committed to equal opportunities.

Benefits

• Access to a broad aeronautical professional network.