Senior Development Test Engineer

Beyond Reach Labs • Brooklyn, NY

7d

About The Position

Beyond Reach Labs is designing and building large deployable structures for use in space. The Senior Development Test Engineer will lead the design, fabrication, and operation of test infrastructure used to verify the company’s mechanisms, structures, and actuators on the ground before flight. The role owns test strategy and execution from subassembly-level development testing through full-scale deployment testing of flight hardware.

The position spans the development cycle, including architecting data acquisition systems; leading fabrication of test stands and fixtures; and defining procedures and test campaigns that move mechanisms from prototype through qualification and acceptance testing. The engineer will mentor other engineers, guide technicians and engineers through campaigns, and help shape the company’s testing practices and future test capabilities as the organization scales.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 5 years of experience in a hands-on engineering role designing, fabricating, or operating test hardware, data acquisition systems, or test rigs.
• Direct experience testing spaceflight hardware through development, acceptance, and qualification testing.
• Experience leading test campaigns end to end, including authoring acceptance and qualification test documentation.
• Strong working knowledge of instrumentation and data acquisition fundamentals, including sensors, signal conditioning, and sampling.
• Demonstrated ability to take technical ownership and lead in small teams.
• Willingness to work extended hours and weekends as necessary to support critical project milestones.
• Must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or eligible for authorization under U.S. export regulations.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s or PhD degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Experience serving as test director or test lead for qualification campaigns of flight hardware.
• Direct prior experience designing, fabricating, and operating test rigs and stands for mechanisms, structural test articles, motors, or actuators, including data acquisition hardware/software and common test instrumentation.
• Direct prior experience with large, lightweight deployable structure testing, such as gravity offload or deployment dynamics test methods.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, fabrication, and instrumentation of test rigs and stands for deployable mechanisms, structural test articles, and motor/actuator hardware.
• Architect data acquisition systems, including sensor selection, signal conditioning, and instrumentation layout, and establish team standards.
• Produce and review fabrication drawings, wiring schematics, and instrumentation lists for test equipment.
• Streamline and automate testing for acceptance testing and long-term production, and help shape the longer-term test capability roadmap.
• Lead test systems and campaigns across development, acceptance, and qualification testing, from full-scale deployment tests to subassembly-level characterization.
• Serve as test director and lead test readiness reviews.
• Participate hands-on in test article integration, activation, test execution, and troubleshooting while guiding other engineers and technicians.
• Reduce and review test data, and lead anomaly investigations and root cause analysis with design engineers through closure.
• Synthesize test results and performance trends into recommendations for design and manufacturing to mature hardware.
• Develop, write, and approve acceptance test procedures and qualification test plans for flight hardware and ground support equipment.
• Own qualification approaches and acceptance testing methods, including test levels, margins, and verification methods, in coordination with responsible engineers and program leadership.
• Establish and maintain scalable configuration control of test procedures, test data, and as-run documentation.
• Mentor other engineers and help shape the company’s testing practices as it scales.

What This Job Offers

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