Senior Vehicle Test Engineer

Position Summary

The Senior Vehicle Test Engineer owns the integrated planning and execution framework for spacecraft vehicle-level verification. The engineer engages early in the development lifecycle so that test scope, design-for-test features, facilities, ground-support equipment, procedures, staffing, and verification artifacts are ready when vehicle integration is complete. This role leads subject-matter experts in defining and executing all applicable vehicle-level tests and owns the vehicle verification matrix and Verification Control Document.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the integrated vehicle verification and test strategy from early design through flight readiness.
• Own and maintain the vehicle verification matrix and Verification Control Document in coordination with Systems Engineering and requirement owners.
• Define the required verification artifact for each applicable requirement and ensure the responsible domain expert produces complete, reviewable evidence.
• Plan all applicable vehicle-level functional, environmental, interface, deployment, propulsion, mass-properties, end-to-end, and mission-readiness testing.
• Develop integrated test flows, schedules, configurations, dependencies, resource plans, and entry and exit criteria.
• Lead subject-matter experts in defining test objectives, success criteria, limits, instrumentation, data products, and procedure steps.
• Author integrated test procedures, control procedure execution, and maintain accurate as-run procedures.
• Lead Test Readiness Reviews, test-conductor activities, console organization, configuration verification, and anomaly-response coordination.
• Define facility, instrumentation, tooling, lifting, handling, data-system, and GSE requirements early enough to support vehicle test.
• Ensure the engineers responsible for GSE architecture, design, fabrication, software, checkout, and delivery meet vehicle-test needs and schedule.
• Design or contribute directly to GSE architecture when experience and program needs allow.
• Coordinate test execution across Systems Engineering, Integration and Test, avionics, flight software, GNC, power, propulsion, thermal, structures, facilities, quality, and safety.
• Establish custody, naming, configuration, storage, and traceability expectations for raw data, processed data, test logs, anomaly records, as-run procedures, reports, and verification evidence.
• Ensure test datasets and verification artifacts are generated, populated, reviewed, approved, and linked to the applicable requirements.
• Produce integrated test reports, verification-completion status, open-anomaly assessments, retest recommendations, and flight-readiness inputs.
• Capture lessons learned and improve vehicle test processes, templates, and readiness criteria.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, systems engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 5 + years of spacecraft integration, spacecraft test, aerospace systems engineering, or closely related vehicle-level test experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading spacecraft vehicle-level qualification or acceptance test campaigns.
• Experience with spacecraft integration, design for test, test-conductor duties, or Test Readiness Reviews.
• Experience defining, designing, or delivering electrical, mechanical, fluid, software, or data-system GSE.
• Experience planning or executing major spacecraft lifts, moves, handling operations, or other critical vehicle operations.
• Experience across several test domains, such as functional testing, vibration, acoustic, shock, EMI/EMC, TVAC, propulsion, deployment, mass properties, or end-to-end mission testing.
• Familiarity with test-data systems, instrumentation, telemetry, anomaly management, configuration management, and verification databases.
• Experience planning or executing multidisciplinary aerospace functional or environmental tests.
• Experience writing, controlling, and maintaining test procedures and as-run records.
• Experience coordinating subject-matter experts, facilities, instrumentation, data acquisition, GSE, and test schedules.
• Working knowledge of requirements verification, verification matrices, Verification Control Documents, and objective evidence.
• Ability to lead time-critical test activities, communicate clearly across disciplines, and maintain configuration and data traceability.

Work Expectations

• This role participates throughout development and becomes especially hands-on during vehicle integration and test.
• Occasional travel may be required during active test campaigns.