Engineering Flight Test Coordination Lead

Cirrus Aircraft•Duluth, MN

2d•$102,100 - $153,149

About The Position

The Engineering Flight Test Coordination Lead is responsible for end-to-end configuration control and change management for a fleet of experimental aircraft across multiple types. This role ensures the organization always knows exactly what configuration each aircraft is in, what maintenance is scheduled/required, what experimental modifications are installed or pending, and what actions and documentation are required to return an aircraft to a standard airworthiness condition (e.g., “airworthiness ticket” or equivalent internal/release status). This role also manages and coordinates Test Aircraft configuration and readiness for test. This position establishes and governs the tools, processes, and metrics that enable high fleet availability, safe and compliant experimentation, and rapid configuration traceability for engineering, flight test, maintenance, safety, and program stakeholders.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aviation Maintenance, Aerospace, Operations, Program Management or related field or equivalent experience.
7+ years of experience in configuration management, change management, aircraft maintenance planning, flight test operations, or related aerospace environment.
Demonstrated experience controlling configuration of complex assets (aircraft preferred) including hardware/software and documentation.
Strong working knowledge of aircraft maintenance concepts, records, and release/return-to-service discipline.
Proven ability to design and implement processes, workflows, and tool solutions that improve visibility, compliance, and operational availability.
Strong communication and stakeholder management skills; ability to operate effectively across engineering and operations teams.
High attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and comfort working with metrics and dashboards.

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting experimental aircraft, flight test programs, or rapidly evolving prototype fleets.
Familiarity with PLM/ERP/CM fleet management tools (e.g., Teamcenter/Windchill, Jama/DOORS, SAP, Maximo, Jira/Confluence, Smartsheet, CAMPS, etc.).
Knowledge of configuration audits, discrepancy resolution, and release readiness processes.
Experience defining operational metrics and building dashboards (Power BI or similar).

Responsibilities

Maintain the configuration baseline for each aircraft, including: Installed experimental and standard parts (part numbers, serial numbers, mod status), Software/firmware loads and calibration states (as applicable), Instrumentation, test equipment, and payload configurations, Weight & balance configuration changes and supporting records
Track aircraft configuration across multiple aircraft types and sub-types, ensuring consistent configuration definitions and naming conventions.
Ensure configuration status is accurate, current, and auditable, enabling rapid “as-is” and “as-maintained” reporting.
Serve as the single coordination point for all changes affecting experimental aircraft configuration, including: New experimental parts installations/removals, Temporary test configurations , “Test-only” deviations and allowances, Engineering dispositions and constraints
Establish and manage an aircraft change workflow
Ensure each change has clear: scope, purpose, risk assessment inputs, required signoffs, installation instructions, verification steps, and rollback plan.
Track scheduled and unscheduled maintenance events for the fleet and ensure maintenance status is integrated into configuration visibility.
Coordinate with maintenance teams to plan downtime, parts availability, and turn-back-to-flight readiness requirements.
Maintain forward-looking schedules and constraints (test windows, inspections, compliance checks) to support optimal aircraft availability.
Define and manage the requirements, documentation, inspections, and signoffs needed to place a standard airworthiness ticket (or equivalent internal release) back on the aircraft.
Ensure experimental modifications are correctly documented, controlled, and reconciled against release criteria prior to flight operations.
Build and maintain “ready-to-fly” and “return-to-standard” checklists by aircraft type/configuration, including verification of installed configuration and completed inspections.
Establish and continuously improve the tools and processes used to manage configuration and change control (e.g., PLM/ALM/CM systems, databases, dashboards, forms, and workflows).
Create fleet-level visibility dashboards
Define, track, and report key performance and availability metrics
Drive standard work, training, and compliance to the configuration & change processes across engineering, maintenance, test operations, and safety stakeholders.
Partner with Engineering, Flight Test, Quality, Safety, Supply Chain, and Program leadership to align priorities and ensure changes are implemented safely and efficiently.
Coordinates planned aircraft configuration updates to support future testing. Ensures the aircraft configuration meets test requirements and project schedule.
Facilitate/establish a configuration review / change control board (if necessary), capturing decisions and maintaining action closure.
Provide rapid configuration data support for investigations, test analysis, and operational planning.

Benefits

Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, vision, dental, with additional dependent coverage options
Employer-Paid Coverages: Group term life, short- and long-term disability insurance
Flexible Spending Accounts: FSA and HSA offerings with company contributions to HSA
Well-being: Calm Health, Employee Assistance Program, and wellness incentives through medical provider
401(k) Plan: Dollar-for-dollar match up to 5% after 90 days, with 100% vesting at 1 year of service
PTO: Various PTO plans starting at 100 hours accrued within the first year
Additional Time off Benefits: Paid holidays, 2 weeks of Paid Parental leave, paid time for funeral leave and jury duty
Career Development: Tuition reimbursement program and professional growth opportunities
Exclusive Discounts: Cirrus Store, partner and marketplace discounts available
Community & Engagement: Company and employee clubs at various locations