Senior Staff Engineer, Test Director

Responsibilities

• Act as Test Director for system-level integration and flight test campaigns of Hivemind Mission Autonomy on small UAS and external platforms.
• Own test readiness decisions, including entry and exit criteria for lab, simulation, ground, and flight test phases.
• Plan, direct, and execute fly–fix–fly test campaigns while maintaining configuration control and safety.
• Define and enforce test strategy, including system-level verification and validation, test phasing, and prioritization of objectives.
• Direct cross-functional test execution across engineering disciplines and test operators.
• Determine test infrastructure requirements, including SIL, HIL, simulation environments, flight-test assets, and automated test pipelines.
• Approve and oversee test procedures, test cards, and execution plans; serve as the final authority during test conduct.
• Define performance metrics and success criteria, ensuring test data is actionable and traceable to requirements and mission outcomes.
• Lead flight-test risk assessments, hazard analyses, and mitigation planning; enforce safety-of-flight discipline.
• Serve as the primary test interface to leadership, customers, and external stakeholders, reporting on test progress, results, and risks.
• Establish test standards, SOPs, and best practices aligned with industry and DoD DT&E/OT&E expectations.
• Document test results, anomalies, corrective actions, and lessons learned to drive continuous improvement.
• Support travel to test sites, customer events, and integration activities as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a STEM discipline such as Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
• 7+ years of experience in system integration and test, including SIL, HIL, simulation, and flight-test environments.
• Experience leading test execution with authority over test conduct, readiness, and risk decisions.
• Strong cross-functional experience with systems engineering, software, hardware, safety, and program management teams.
• Strong organizational, methodological, written, and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to brief technical status to leadership and customers.
• Demonstrated integrity, accountability, high standards, and collaborative leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of DoD DT&E and OT&E processes and documentation expectations.
• Direct experience with small UAS, autonomy, or robotic flight-test operations.
• Prior experience as a Test Director, Test Conductor, or Lead Flight Test Engineer.
• Experience in DoD software and hardware laboratories or government flight-test ranges.
• Familiarity with safety-of-flight processes, hazard analysis, and configuration control in flight-test environments.