Instrumentation Engineer

Venus Aerospace•Houston, TX

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Venus Aerospace is seeking an Instrumentation Engineer to design, analyze, develop, integrate, and maintain electrical and instrumentation systems for its test department. The role supports measurement and validation of complex aerospace hardware across a range of applications, working with a multidisciplinary team in a fast-paced, hardware-focused environment. The engineer will design measurement systems for high-energy hardware and collaborate across disciplines, including with the Software team on automated testing and analysis. The position involves sensor selection and integration, signal conditioning, verification and calibration, wiring harness and interface design, and instrumentation integration with mechanical, fluid, inert gas, and cryogenic systems. The engineer will develop test setups and procedures, create and revise schematics, modify structures for testing needs, review test data, and support grounding, shielding, EMI mitigation, commissioning, maintenance, installation, wiring, and troubleshooting of test infrastructure and equipment. This is an on-site role in Houston, Texas. It requires the ability to work outdoors during testing and fabrication, safely lift and transport up to 40 pounds, and adapt to changing test, development, and operational requirements. The position involves access to technology subject to U.S. export controls; offers are contingent on the applicant being able to comply with applicable ITAR requirements.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent hands-on test experience; in the absence of a degree, 7+ years of relevant experience.
3+ years of experience in instrumentation, controls, or test engineering.
Hands-on experience with signal conditioning and data acquisition systems.
Strong understanding of measurement uncertainty and sampling theory; filtering, noise, grounding, and EMI; and sensor selection and integration.
Solid understanding of sensor signal types and wiring, including voltage, mV, differential voltage, and 4–20 mA outputs; bridge-based sensors; IEPE/charge accelerometers; digital I/O and low/high-side switching; thermocouples and RTDs; and pulse and frequency signals.
Practical experience installing and troubleshooting pressure and differential pressure transducers, thermocouples and RTDs, high-speed accelerometers, load cells and strain-gauge sensors, flowmeters, mechanical limit switches, solenoid valves, power supplies, NI PXI/cDAQ/cRIO systems, and VFDs.
Experience using power supplies, digital multimeters and signal generators, oscilloscopes, crimp and precision cutting tools, soldering and rework equipment, heat guns and strain relief tools, torque tools for sensor installation, and labeling and harness management tools.
Comfort working in a fast-paced, hardware-focused environment.
Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work independently and collaboratively within cross-functional teams.
Willingness and ability to work outdoors in support of testing and fabrication activities, safely lift and transport up to 40 pounds, and adapt to evolving test, development, and operational requirements.
Must be able to meet applicable U.S. export control/ITAR requirements, including qualifying status or eligibility to obtain required authorizations.

Nice To Haves

Experience in aerospace, propulsion testing, or flight test.
Familiarity with LabVIEW, MATLAB, Python, or DIAdem.
Familiarity with Confluence, Jira, and Microsoft Office Suite.
Experience with high-speed or transient data acquisition.
Experience operating in cryogenic or high-temperature environments.
Background supporting hazardous test operations.
Strong cross-functional communication during live test operations.
3+ years of experience with CAD modeling software.
3+ years of experience in hardware testing environments.
3+ years of experience with fluid and/or mechanical system design.

Responsibilities

Own the design, analysis, development, integration, and maintenance of test department electrical and instrumentation systems.
Select, integrate, and validate sensors for low-speed and high-speed data acquisition systems.
Perform signal conditioning, including excitation, amplification, filtering, isolation, and scaling of sensor outputs.
Verify sensor operation through power checks, continuity, polarity, and calibration.
Design and fabricate wiring harnesses and instrumentation interfaces.
Integrate instrumentation with mechanical, fluid, inert gas, and cryogenic systems.
Develop robust test setups for large- and small-scale hardware.
Generate and revise electrical and instrumentation schematics for test stands.
Modify existing structures to meet testing requirements.
Generate test procedures for new systems and calibrate existing systems.
Review test data to identify issues, anomalies, and trends.
Support grounding, shielding, and EMI mitigation efforts.
Install, wire, and troubleshoot test instrumentation systems.
Communicate with the Software team to support automated testing and analysis.
Support commissioning and maintenance of test infrastructure and equipment.
Perform additional tasks as needed to support test and development operations.