Project Engineer / AI&T Technical Lead

Mclaurin Aerospace • Houston, TX

3d • Onsite

About The Position

We have an exciting opportunity for a Project Engineer / AI&T Technical Lead to join our JETS II contract team at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, TX. If selected you will lead the Assembly, Integration, and Test effort for the Suit Mass Simulator, including planning, coordination, execution, and technical oversight of hardware build and test activities. You will coordinate the assembly of Suit Mass Simulator components, subcomponents, and subsystems, ensuring proper configuration, documentation, inspection, and readiness for integration. You will lead integration of the Suit Mass Simulator hardware with itself and with vehicle interfaces, including HLS lander systems such as Command and Data Handling, structures, power, mechanical interfaces, instrumentation, and related support equipment. You will develop and maintain AI&T plans, build flows, test flows, integration schedules, risk items, open work tracking, and readiness criteria. You will coordinate across engineering disciplines, including systems engineering, mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, instrumentation, operations, safety, quality, configuration management, and test teams. You will support development and execution of hardware test plans, test procedures, verification activities, functional checks, interface tests, and integrated system tests. You will ensure hardware build and test activities are performed in accordance with NASA-JSC flight hardware standards (EA-WI-023) project requirements, safety expectations, configuration management practices, and quality processes. You will support readiness reviews, test readiness reviews, integration reviews, procedure reviews, and other technical milestone reviews. You will track and resolve technical issues, discrepancies, nonconformances, integration conflicts, and test anomalies. You will coordinate with vehicle, payload, and mission stakeholders to ensure Suit Mass Simulator requirements, interfaces, constraints, and data collection objectives are understood and properly implemented. You will support development of operational products required for flight test execution, including test objectives, data collection plans, telemetry/data needs, constraints, troubleshooting plans, and post-test data review support. You will provide real-time or near-real-time technical support during in-flight test activities while the Suit Mass Simulator is collecting launch environment characterization data. You will communicate technical status, risks, schedule impacts, resource needs, and decision points to project leadership and stakeholders.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, physical science, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience supporting NASA, aerospace, defense, or complex flight-like hardware development, integration, and test.
• Demonstrated experience with hardware assembly, integration, test planning, test execution, and anomaly resolution.
• Understanding of flight hardware build discipline, including configuration control, quality processes, procedure-driven work, inspection points, and documentation requirements.
• Experience coordinating across multiple technical disciplines and managing complex hardware/software/mechanical/electrical interfaces.
• Ability to lead technical work in a matrixed environment where contributors may report through different organizations.
• Ability to develop and maintain build plans, test plans, schedules, action item trackers, risk lists, and technical status products.
• Strong technical communication skills, including the ability to brief project leadership, coordinate with subsystem owners, and document technical decisions.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced project environment with evolving requirements, tight schedules, and multiple stakeholders.
• US Citizenship and the ability to pass a comprehensive security background investigation is required.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with NASA-JSC flight hardware build, test, and integration processes.
• Experience supporting human spaceflight programs, exploration systems, crew systems, EVA, lunar surface systems, HLS, Gateway, Orion, ISS, or similar programs.
• Experience with Assembly, Integration, and Test of flight or flight-like hardware.
• Experience supporting integrated testing involving structures, avionics, power, C&DH, instrumentation, telemetry, or vehicle interfaces.
• Experience with test readiness reviews, certification/acceptance testing, verification closeout, discrepancy reporting, and nonconformance resolution.
• Experience supporting hardware operations in labs, high-bay environments, clean rooms, vehicle integration environments, or launch/in-flight support environments.
• Experience with configuration management, requirements management, interface control documents, engineering change processes, and controlled build documentation.
• Experience supporting real-time test or mission operations, including console support, troubleshooting, data review, or post-test reporting.
• Project engineering, deputy project manager, test director, lead systems engineer, AI&T lead, or technical lead experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead the Assembly, Integration, and Test effort for the Suit Mass Simulator, including planning, coordination, execution, and technical oversight of hardware build and test activities.
• Coordinate the assembly of Suit Mass Simulator components, subcomponents, and subsystems, ensuring proper configuration, documentation, inspection, and readiness for integration.
• Lead integration of the Suit Mass Simulator hardware with itself and with vehicle interfaces, including HLS lander systems such as Command and Data Handling, structures, power, mechanical interfaces, instrumentation, and related support equipment.
• Develop and maintain AI&T plans, build flows, test flows, integration schedules, risk items, open work tracking, and readiness criteria.
• Coordinate across engineering disciplines, including systems engineering, mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, instrumentation, operations, safety, quality, configuration management, and test teams.
• Support development and execution of hardware test plans, test procedures, verification activities, functional checks, interface tests, and integrated system tests.
• Ensure hardware build and test activities are performed in accordance with NASA-JSC flight hardware standards (EA-WI-023) project requirements, safety expectations, configuration management practices, and quality processes.
• Support readiness reviews, test readiness reviews, integration reviews, procedure reviews, and other technical milestone reviews.
• Track and resolve technical issues, discrepancies, nonconformances, integration conflicts, and test anomalies.
• Coordinate with vehicle, payload, and mission stakeholders to ensure Suit Mass Simulator requirements, interfaces, constraints, and data collection objectives are understood and properly implemented.
• Support development of operational products required for flight test execution, including test objectives, data collection plans, telemetry/data needs, constraints, troubleshooting plans, and post-test data review support.
• Provide real-time or near-real-time technical support during in-flight test activities while the Suit Mass Simulator is collecting launch environment characterization data.
• Communicate technical status, risks, schedule impacts, resource needs, and decision points to project leadership and stakeholders.

Benefits

• Competitive pay
• Positive work-life balance
• 100% Employer paid insurance including: Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment, short-term disability, and long-term disability
• 11 paid holidays annually
• Generous PTO
• 401k after 12 months of service with employer match
• Education assistance
• Relocation assistance (if applicable)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level