Senior Flight Test Engineer
Location: Huntsville, AL (on-site)
Employment Type: Full-time, direct hire
Salary Range: $130K-$175K
About the Opportunity
Our client, a growing aircraft structural engineering and flight test company, is seeking an experienced, full-time, permanent Senior Flight Test Engineer for its Huntsville office. This role supports ground and flight testing for aircraft modification programs involving OML (Outer Mold Line), avionics, systems, and interior changes on Part 23 and Part 25 certified aircraft.
The Senior Flight Test Engineer leads the planning, execution, and analysis of complex flight test programs to verify aircraft performance, airworthiness, mission capability, and regulatory compliance. As a technical leader, this role develops test strategies, authors test plans, coordinates multidisciplinary test activities, and provides engineering oversight throughout the flight test lifecycle. The role works closely with test pilots, design engineers, certification authorities, maintenance personnel, and program management to ensure objectives are achieved safely and efficiently. This position also oversees junior engineers and serves as a subject matter expert in flight test methodologies, data analysis, and aircraft systems evaluation.
Key Responsibilities
- Test Leadership: Lead flight test planning, execution, data reduction, analysis, and reporting for aircraft modification and certification programs.
- Regulatory & Certification: Develop certification bases, regulatory compliance plans, test plans, procedures, test cards, and supporting documentation for FAA, military, and customer certification activities.
- Flight Operations: Serve as test director and active aircraft crew member during flight test operations; conduct pre- and post-flight briefings and monitor in-flight test activities.
- Technical Reporting: Prepare findings, recommendations, engineering reports, and substantiation materials to support airworthiness approval, product acceptance, and design compliance.
- Design Review: Review preliminary and detailed engineering designs, design changes, and customer requirements; support design, safety, test readiness, and data release reviews.
- Instrumentation Setup: Define flight test instrumentation parameters, data acquisition requirements, ranges, accuracy, and sampling rates.
- Program Testing: Support baseline, envelope expansion, development, certification, operational test, and evaluation flight test programs.
- Data Analysis: Perform engineering data reduction and analysis using flight test instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and post-flight analysis tools.
- Systems Integration: Support integration, troubleshooting, conformity inspections, and evaluations of mechanical, electrical, avionics, and aircraft system modifications at company, customer, and remote test sites.
- Documentation: Develop and review Airplane Flight Manuals (AFM), Airplane Flight Manual Supplements (AFMS), Operating Instructions, and Instructions for Continuing Airworthiness (ICA).
- Safety & Risk: Implement company safety, risk identification, and risk management procedures for all test programs.
- Weight & Balance: Establish and maintain weight and balance control of test aircraft to support flight testing.
- Team Leadership: Supervise, mentor, and provide technical guidance to junior engineers; allocate resources, manage project budgets, and represent the company in partner and client meetings.
Required Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Aeronautical Engineering, or a highly related engineering discipline.
- Experience: Minimum of 10 years of direct experience in flight test engineering.
- Medical: Ability to obtain and maintain an FAA Class III Medical Certificate.
- Core Technical Expertise: Demonstrated expertise in flight test planning and execution, aircraft performance and handling qualities evaluation, systems testing, flight test instrumentation, data acquisition systems, and engineering data analysis.
- Regulatory Knowledge: Deep understanding of aircraft certification processes and FAA, military, or customer regulatory requirements.
- Leadership & Project Management: Proven leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills, with the ability to manage budgets, allocate resources, and prioritize assignments across multiple programs.
- Security Clearance: Must be a U.S. citizen capable of obtaining and maintaining a Department of Defense Secret clearance.
- Travel & Schedule: Willingness to travel domestically and internationally up to 20% to customer sites, hangars, and test locations; willingness to work overtime during active flight test windows.
- Software: Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
Preferred Qualifications
- Strong background in aviation airframe modifications or the aerospace industry
- Prior DoD or military flight test experience
- Experience with data acquisition systems, telemetry, instrumentation, and programming/engineering tools (e.g., MATLAB, Python, Dewesoft)
- Fixed-wing flight test experience
- Licensed Private Pilot
Benefits & Perks
- Industry-competitive compensation package
- Company performance-based bonus plan
- Equity stock-based compensation package
- Employer-funded comprehensive health, vision, and dental insurance for employees and dependents
- 401(k) with company match
- PTO and holiday pay
- Employer-funded life and disability insurance coverage
About Our Client
Our client is a growing, flexible, customer-driven aircraft structural engineering and flight test company with manufacturing capability. The company offers a wide variety of projects with both foreign and domestic government and commercial customers across many types of aircraft.
This position is subject to a pre-employment background check. Our client is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, parental status, marital status, age, disability, citizenship status, veteran status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by federal or state law.