Senior Missile Test and Evaluation Engineer

Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory•Laurel, MD

About The Position

The Senior Missile Test and Evaluation Engineer provides technical leadership in planning, executing, and analyzing test and evaluation activities for developmental Navy and Air Force missile systems, including Trident and Sentinel. The role supports strategic missile, reentry system, and hypersonic weapon programs, providing independent assessments that inform system development and acquisition decisions. The engineer leads complex technical investigations, shapes performance requirements and evaluation strategies, and guides multidisciplinary teams assessing missile system performance. The role works closely with government sponsors and industry partners to provide independent technical insight and recommendations throughout system development and flight testing. It also includes mentoring developing engineers and advancing the Laboratory’s analytical capabilities.

Requirements

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline.
At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in aerospace systems engineering, test and evaluation, or modeling and simulation.
Substantial technical experience in one or more areas of missile or aerospace system performance, such as flight dynamics, aerodynamics, propulsion, guidance and control, or system-level performance assessment.
Demonstrated experience leading complex technical investigations, analysis efforts, or test and evaluation activities involving multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Experience developing or evaluating system-performance requirements, test objectives, evaluation methodologies, or technical assessments.
Strong analytical and computational skills, including experience developing or applying engineering-analysis tools using MATLAB, Python, or similar programming environments.
Ability to exercise independent technical judgment, evaluate competing technical considerations, and develop defensible engineering recommendations.
Strong written and verbal communication skills, including presenting complex technical findings to technical leadership, customers, or other stakeholders.
Success collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and engaging with government, industry, or other external technical partners.
Interest in mentoring less-experienced engineers and contributing to organizational technical growth.
Comfort working in closed-area facilities and ability to travel for meetings and field tests, approximately 25–30 days per year.
Ability to obtain an Interim Secret security clearance by the start date and ultimately obtain a Top Secret security clearance; U.S. citizenship is required for eligibility to access classified information.

Nice To Haves

M.S. or Ph.D. in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline, with 12 or more years of relevant technical experience.
Extensive experience with test and evaluation, modeling and simulation, or performance assessment of strategic missile systems, reentry systems, or hypersonic flight systems.
Technical leadership of major test and evaluation efforts, including evaluation strategies, technical execution, and delivery of independent assessments to government sponsors.
Strong background in missile and reentry-body functional, aerodynamic, and interface performance requirements, including evaluation of system-level performance and design tradeoffs.
Experience designing, developing, or integrating missile and reentry-body subsystems.
Experience supporting Navy or Air Force strategic missile and reentry systems, including Trident, Minuteman, or Sentinel.
Established relationships with government sponsors or success serving as a senior technical advisor on major defense programs.
Experience developing technical capabilities, mentoring engineers, or leading teams to solve complex engineering problems.
Active Top Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

Lead test and evaluation efforts for strategic and hypersonic missile programs, including flight-performance assessments, comparisons with preflight predictions, requirements verification, and cumulative system-performance evaluations.
Develop performance requirements, evaluation methodologies, and integrated test strategies for developmental missile and reentry systems.
Advise government sponsors through independent assessments, identification of technical risks, and recommendations for resolving system-performance challenges.
Lead multidisciplinary teams in planning and executing technical investigations, interpreting test results, and developing recommendations for system design and program decisions.
Guide development of test objectives, data-collection requirements, and analysis plans for flight and ground tests.
Direct development and application of modeling, simulation, analysis, and visualization tools for system-performance evaluations.
Prepare and present technical findings, assessments, and recommendations to government sponsors, program leadership, and representatives of other agencies.
Provide technical guidance during missile flight-test operations and lead post-flight analysis.
Mentor junior engineers, promote technical rigor, and contribute to the team’s expertise and analytical capabilities.
Collaborate with Laboratory, government, and industry technical experts on missile and reentry-body performance, modeling and simulation, range systems, and flight testing.