Senior Vehicle Test Engineer

Portal Space Systems•Bothell, WA

13h•$150,000 - $200,000

About The Position

The Senior Vehicle Test Engineer owns the integrated planning and execution framework for spacecraft vehicle-level verification. The engineer engages early in the development lifecycle to ensure test scope, design-for-test features, facilities, ground-support equipment, procedures, staffing, and verification artifacts are ready when vehicle integration is complete. This role leads subject-matter experts in defining and executing applicable vehicle-level tests and owns the vehicle verification matrix and Verification Control Document. The role participates throughout development and becomes especially hands-on during vehicle integration and test. Occasional travel may be required during active test campaigns.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, systems engineering, or a related technical discipline, or equivalent experience.
5+ years of spacecraft integration, spacecraft test, aerospace systems engineering, or closely related vehicle-level test experience.

Nice To Haves

Experience leading spacecraft vehicle-level qualification or acceptance test campaigns.
Experience with spacecraft integration, design for test, test-conductor duties, or Test Readiness Reviews.
Experience defining, designing, or delivering electrical, mechanical, fluid, software, or data-system GSE.
Experience planning or executing major spacecraft lifts, moves, handling operations, or other critical vehicle operations.
Experience across several test domains, such as functional testing, vibration, acoustic, shock, EMI/EMC, TVAC, propulsion, deployment, mass properties, or end-to-end mission testing.
Familiarity with test-data systems, instrumentation, telemetry, anomaly management, configuration management, and verification databases.
Experience planning or executing multidisciplinary aerospace functional or environmental tests.
Experience writing, controlling, and maintaining test procedures and as-run records.
Experience coordinating subject-matter experts, facilities, instrumentation, data acquisition, GSE, and test schedules.
Working knowledge of requirements verification, verification matrices, Verification Control Documents, and objective evidence.
Ability to lead time-critical test activities, communicate clearly across disciplines, and maintain configuration and data traceability.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain the integrated vehicle verification and test strategy from early design through flight readiness.
Own and maintain the vehicle verification matrix and Verification Control Document in coordination with Systems Engineering and requirement owners.
Define the required verification artifact for each applicable requirement and ensure the responsible domain expert produces complete, reviewable evidence.
Plan applicable vehicle-level functional, environmental, interface, deployment, propulsion, mass-properties, end-to-end, and mission-readiness testing.
Develop integrated test flows, schedules, configurations, dependencies, resource plans, and entry and exit criteria.
Lead subject-matter experts in defining test objectives, success criteria, limits, instrumentation, data products, and procedure steps.
Author integrated test procedures, control procedure execution, and maintain accurate as-run procedures.
Lead Test Readiness Reviews, test-conductor activities, console organization, configuration verification, and anomaly-response coordination.
Define facility, instrumentation, tooling, lifting, handling, data-system, and GSE requirements early enough to support vehicle test.
Ensure engineers responsible for GSE architecture, design, fabrication, software, checkout, and delivery meet vehicle-test needs and schedule.
Design or contribute directly to GSE architecture when experience and program needs allow.
Coordinate test execution across Systems Engineering, Integration and Test, avionics, flight software, GNC, power, propulsion, thermal, structures, facilities, quality, and safety.
Establish custody, naming, configuration, storage, and traceability expectations for raw data, processed data, test logs, anomaly records, as-run procedures, reports, and verification evidence.
Ensure test datasets and verification artifacts are generated, populated, reviewed, approved, and linked to applicable requirements.
Produce integrated test reports, verification-completion status, open-anomaly assessments, retest recommendations, and flight-readiness inputs.
Capture lessons learned and improve vehicle test processes, templates, and readiness criteria.