Principal Flight Test Engineer

Mach Industries•Huntington Beach, CA

About The Position

Mach Industries is seeking a Principal Flight Test Engineer to serve as a senior technical authority and mentor within the Flight Test organization. This role is responsible not only for the execution and strategy of autonomous flight testing, but also for developing the next generation of flight test engineers through direct mentorship, technical leadership, and establishment of disciplined test practices. You will report directly to the Head of Flight Operations and work closely with Systems Engineering, GNC, Autonomy, Software, Structures, Propulsion, and Safety leadership. You will define how Mach conducts flight testing—establishing standards, processes, and infrastructure consistent with industry best practices from leading autonomous aerospace and defense organizations. You will own the end-to-end validation and verification strategy across ground and flight test phases, spanning component-level, subassembly, and fully integrated vehicle testing. This includes defining test approaches consistent with recognized aerospace standards (ARP4754, DO-160G, MIL-STD-810) while adapting them pragmatically to the nature of autonomous, attritable defense systems required to complete the mission CONOP. As a principal FTE, you will guide how Mach evaluates flying qualities, handling characteristics, and autonomy-in-the-loop behavior, leveraging established frameworks such as MIL-STD-1797 and FAA certification basis, while developing novel test techniques appropriate for non-traditional configurations and autonomous vehicles.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or related Engineering discipline (Master’s preferred).
10–15+ years of aerospace experience, with significant responsibility in flight test engineering roles.
Demonstrated experience developing and testing autonomous or highly augmented aircraft systems across multiple vehicle classes.
Experience writing and executing flight and ground test plans at the component, subassembly, and system levels.
Proven ability to design and execute flying qualities evaluations, including development of novel techniques where standards are insufficient.
Experience operating on DoD or restricted test ranges.
Demonstrated mentorship and technical leadership of early-career engineers.

Nice To Haves

Graduate of a recognized Test Pilot School (TPS) or equivalent advanced flight test training (e.g., military, government, or accredited civilian TPS).
Experience with mission planning tools, autonomy frameworks, and custom GCS software.
Pilot (Part 107 and/or 61), or extensive RC flight test background.
Calm, decisive leadership in high-risk or time-critical test environments.
Strong organizational skills with a bias toward disciplined execution and data integrity.

Responsibilities

Serve as Principal Technical Authority for flight and ground test engineering across autonomous aircraft programs.
Mentor and technically guide junior flight test engineers, including:
Teaching test planning methodology and execution discipline
Reviewing test plans, procedures, and reports
Coaching real-time decision-making during test execution
Establish internal best practices, templates, and training material for flight test engineering at Mach.
Own and execute test strategies for autonomous and semi-autonomous aircraft, spanning multiple vehicle classes and propulsion types, including:
High-Altitude Balloons (HABs) and lighter-than-air systems
Fixed-wing aircraft (glider and turbine powered)
Rotary-wing aircraft, including multirotor and compound configurations
Turbine-powered and/or solid rocket motor propelled cruise missiles and interceptors
Lead autonomy mode progression, incremental enablement, and regression testing across vehicle types.
Partner with GNC and Autonomy teams to define measurable performance metrics, safety monitors, and success criteria.
Ensure autonomy behavior is evaluated using structured, repeatable, and defensible test techniques.
Develop novel and non-traditional flying qualities test technique
Define and execute envelope expansion plans, control law evaluations, and handling qualities assessments.
Design test methods to evaluate new and existing mission CONOPs
Lead Flight Readiness Reviews (FRR), Test Readiness Reviews (TRR), and Post-Test Data reviews and squawks
Act as test conductor during flight operations
Coordinate flight test execution across engineering, flight ops, safety, and program teams.
Lead system safety activities including Test Hazard Analysis (THA) development and Safety Review Board (SRB) meetings
Define knock-it-off criteria and real-time safety decision thresholds.
Maintain and evolve Mach’s Flight Test Safety Management System (SMS).
Interface with DoD range safety and airworthiness authorities.
Guide the design and build-out of flight test infrastructure, including:
Ground Control Stations (GCS)
Telemetry, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems
Define standards for data collection, reduction, and archival.
Support scaling of the flight test organization through hiring input and organizational design.