Director, Test Engineering - ACP Programs (R5044)

Responsibilities

• Act as Test Director and technical lead for integration and flight test of Hivemind autonomy on group 5 ACP systems, including multi-aircraft coordination scenarios in LVC and empirical flight test scenarios
• Own test strategy and execution across the full development lifecycle, including system-level verification & validation, test phasing, and prioritization across SIL, HIL, simulation, ground, and flight test environments
• Plan and execute large-scale flight test campaigns, including complex mission scenarios involving cooperative autonomy, human-machine teaming, and distributed systems
• Serve as the final authority during mission autonomy test operations, directing test conduct and approving test plans, procedures, and execution flow
• Coordinate cross-functional execution across software, hardware, systems engineering, flight operations, safety, and program leadership teams
• Define mission-level performance metrics and success criteria, ensuring traceability from requirements to test outcomes and operational effectiveness
• Own test infrastructure strategy, including large-scale simulation environments, SIL/HIL systems, aircraft integration labs, and flight test assets
• Lead on-aircraft integration and flight test operations with platform OEM partners, including system configuration, software deployment, real-time troubleshooting, and post-flight data analysis
• Serve as primary coordinator working with platform OEMs to define and enforce test readiness criteria (entry/exit), define safety-of-flight and mission risk management, airspace coordination and test hazard identification, analysis, and mitigation to ultimately make go/no-go decisions for progression into ground and flight test events
• Establish and scale test processes, standards, and best practices aligned with DoD DT&E/OT&E expectations and operational test rigor

Requirements

• Typically requires 15+ years of experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 14+ years with a Master’s; or 12+ years with a PhD; or equivalent experience
• Demonstrated experience leading flight test or large-scale system integration efforts, including authority over test readiness, execution, and risk decisions
• Strong background in full-scale aviation test environments, including aircraft integration, ground test, and flight operations
• Experience with system-level verification & validation across multiple test environments (SIL, HIL, simulation, and flight)
• Proven ability to plan and execute complex, multi-phase flight test campaigns involving multiple stakeholders and dependencies
• Experience working cross-functionally across software, hardware, avionics, systems engineering, safety, and program teams
• Strong understanding of safety-of-flight principles, risk management, and disciplined test execution in aviation environments
• Proficiency in Python or similar tools for test automation, data analysis, or system validation
• Excellent technical leadership and communication skills, including briefing to senior leadership and external customers
• Ability to obtain and maintain a SECRET clearance; U.S. citizenship required

Nice-to-Haves

• Experience supporting Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP), loyal wingman concepts, or multi-vehicle autonomous systems
• Prior role as Flight Test Director, Test Conductor, or Lead Flight Test Engineer on full-scale aircraft programs
• Familiarity with military aviation test processes, including DT&E and OT&E frameworks
• Experience operating in or supporting government flight test ranges and operational environments
• Background in autonomy, AI/ML-enabled systems, or human-machine teaming in aviation contexts
• Experience with airworthiness processes, flight clearance, and configuration control for aircraft systems
• Familiarity with tools such as Git, Jira/Azure DevOps, and CI/CD pipelines
• Active SECRET clearance