Aerospace Test Engineer

About the role

You will join the test engineering team of an aerospace company responsible for proving hardware meets its requirements on the ground before it flies. The team owns structural, environmental, and functional testing from test plan through data analysis. This role matters because analysis predicts and test decides: your test campaigns generate the evidence that certifies the vehicle, and a well-run test finds the problems that analysis missed while there is still time to fix them. You will own the moment of truth for every design: the test where analysis meets hardware and the data reveals what is actually true. Your test readiness discipline will be legendary, with procedures reviewed, instrumentation verified, and abort criteria understood by everyone in the room before any hazardous operation begins. You will design tests that answer specific engineering questions rather than simply exercising hardware, because test time is expensive and every run should retire risk or generate required evidence. When anomalies occur, and they will, your structured investigation will separate test artifacts from real hardware issues quickly, keeping the program moving instead of chasing ghosts.

What you will achieve

• Deliver test campaigns (static, vibration, thermal, or functional) executed on schedule with data quality sufficient for certification evidence
• Cut test setup time by 25 percent through standardized instrumentation plans, fixture reuse, and pre-test checkout procedures
• Own test readiness reviews: procedures, safety assessments, and abort criteria approved before any high-energy test
• Drive anomaly resolution with structured data analysis linking every test deviation to a design or process action
• Ship test reports with complete traceability from requirements to results, accepted by customers and authorities without rework
• Increase test throughput by developing automated data reduction pipelines that deliver preliminary results within hours of test completion

What you will bring

Must-haves

• 2 to 5 years of experience in aerospace testing: structural, environmental, or system-level test roles
• Strong understanding of measurement fundamentals: strain, acceleration, pressure, temperature, and their uncertainties
• Hands-on experience with data acquisition systems (HBM, NI) and sensor installation (strain gauges, accelerometers, thermocouples)
• Ability to write detailed test procedures with safety considerations, abort criteria, and contingency plans
• Working knowledge of environmental test standards: MIL-STD-810, DO-160, or SMC-S-016 as applicable
• Data analysis skills in MATLAB, Python, or LabVIEW for reducing test data to conclusions
• Rigorous safety discipline for high-energy, high-pressure, or hazardous test operations

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with full-scale static or fatigue testing of airframes
• Knowledge of modal testing and model correlation
• Familiarity with non-destructive inspection during testing
• Exposure to flight test instrumentation (telemetry, onboard recording)
• Experience with telemetry systems and real-time data visualization during test operations