RED CAT HOLDINGS-posted about 12 hours ago
$132,000 - $176,000/Yr
Full-time • Senior
Carson, CA

FlightWave, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, is seeking a Senior-level Flight Test Engineer to join our team supporting the structured validation of advanced unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). We are a dynamic and growing drone technology company focused on manufacturing UAS platforms for defense, public safety, and other government security organizations. This role bridges engineering and field testing — focused not only on flight operations, but also on developing and executing rigorous test plans to validate the performance, reliability, and robustness of our platforms. The ideal candidate combines practical flight test experience with a deep understanding of structured engineering validation.

  • Develop and execute system- and vehicle-level validation test strategies for airborne electromechanical systems.
  • Design and conduct structured flight test campaigns, including performance verification, mission simulation, and failure mode testing.
  • Support the design and execution of environmental stress testing (vibration, shock, thermal, moisture/ingress, fatigue).
  • Define test plans, test cards, and safety procedures for engineering and production aircraft.
  • Apply techniques such as Design of Experiments (DOE), regression, or capability analysis to analyze test results and support design decisions.
  • Build custom test setups, test fixtures, and data acquisition tools as needed for repeatable validation.
  • Partner with GNC, avionics, mechanical, and software teams to verify system-level requirements and qualify engineering changes.
  • Document test results, root cause findings, and corrective actions to inform design and production teams.
  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Software, Physics, or a related technical field.
  • 7+ years in system testing, QA or QC
  • 3–7 years of experience in flight testing, systems validation, or UAV development.
  • Strong understanding of avionics, telemetry, controls, and validation processes.
  • Demonstrated experience executing structured flight test plans and analyzing data.
  • FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate (or ability to obtain).
  • Hands-on experience operating both quadrotor and fixed-wing UAVs in real-world conditions.
  • Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or other open-source autopilot systems.
  • Familiarity with GCS tools such as QGroundControl or Mission Planner.
  • Experience with vibration, shock, thermal, and environmental testing methodologies.
  • Background in C++ and/or Python for test automation or data analysis.
  • Experience with DFMEA/PFMEA, failure investigation, or component qualification.
  • Experience with HIL testing, data acquisition systems, or custom test setups.
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