Staff Test Engineer - Active Secret Clearance Required

Description

This Staff Test Engineer role sits in the Test and Evaluation Engineering Organization and supports the Research and Advanced Design (R&AD) operating unit within the company's aeronautics systems business.

The team is the front-end design group for advanced aircraft and autonomous platforms, covering concept work from early designs and rapid prototyping through demonstrations and hard technical problems in survivability, autonomy and battle management.

You will be based in San Diego, CA or El Segundo, CA, and you will support test work at the System Integration Lab (SIL) in Rancho Bernardo as well as ground and flight tests.

Success here depends on being highly motivated, self-starting and bringing relevant test experience.

Secret clearance is required before you start, and relocation assistance may be available.

Responsibilities

• Run lab, ground and flight integration and developmental testing for the aeronautics systems business.
• Make sure engineering tests support developmental goals and that the means to carry them out are in place.
• Lead every part of the test program, including staffing, planning, execution and reporting for lab and flight tests.
• Review the status of test requirements, manage schedules, and write test plans and test reports.
• Find test and program risks, issues and pressures, then build mitigation and closure plans for each.
• Coordinate ground test engineering and operations and the aircraft changes needed for testing, working often with engineering teams in Rancho Bernardo, Space Park, El Segundo and Palmdale.
• Keep cost and schedule on target.
• Give program leadership staffing forecasts for the test sites and timely resource forecasts, so the Test Statement of Work has the people it needs.
• Work extended shifts and occasional weekends when needed to keep the program on schedule.

Requirements

• A Bachelor's degree in a STEM field plus 12 years of relevant lab, ground and flight test military or professional experience, or a Master's degree in a STEM field plus 10 years of the same, or a PhD plus 8 years of the same.
• Experience leading flight test programs.
• Experience managing program risk, opportunity and issues.
• Experience working in lab environments.
• An active US Government Secret clearance, with a background investigation in the past 6 years or enrollment in Continuous Evaluation, and the ability to obtain and keep a Top Secret clearance.
• The ability to obtain and keep a Special Access Program (SAP) clearance within a timeframe set by business needs, completed before you start.
• The ability to travel up to 25% of your time.
• Strong communication skills, experience leading test engineers, and the ability to work in a matrix setting with several sources of management direction.
• Preferred qualifications: experience leading a test team in a fast-changing setting; strong organizational, written, project planning and presentation skills; proficiency in MS Project, Excel, PowerPoint and Word; the ability to build trusted working relationships; experience with Jira and Confluence; an active US Government Top Secret clearance with a background investigation in the past 6 years or enrollment in Continuous Evaluation; prior SAP or Special Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance.

Conditions

Travel is 50% of the time according to the posting's travel field, and the role requires the ability to travel up to 25%.

Flexible work arrangements are available, including a 9/80 or 4/10 schedule.

The application window is estimated at 20 days from the posting date, and may be shortened or extended based on business needs and candidate availability.

Benefits

• Base salary range: $161,000.00 to $241,400.00. This is a general guideline, and final offers depend on scope, responsibilities, experience, education, skills and market conditions.
• Depending on the position, you may be eligible for overtime, shift differential and a discretionary bonus. Annual bonuses reward individual work and let you share in company results. Vice President and Director roles may include Long Term Incentives.
• Health insurance, life and disability insurance, a savings plan with 401K matching, company-paid holidays and paid time off for vacation or personal business.
• Exceptional healthcare benefits, plus learning opportunities, exposure to a wide range of projects and customers, and a friendly team.