Sr Staff Test Pilot

Northrop Grumman•Melbourne, FL

101d•$201,400 - $302,200•Onsite

About The Position

Northrop Grumman Aeronautics Systems has an opening for a Senior Staff Pilot Test to join our team of qualified, diverse individuals within our Test and Evaluation organization. This role is located in Melbourne, FL. The Chief Test Pilot (CTP) is a key contributor to the program and sits on the program leadership team. The CTP will support the design, development, and certification of the aircraft and air system. The CTP will work closely with other Integrated Product Teams, the Chief Engineer, as well as systems engineers including Safety, Airworthiness, and Human Factors teams to validate and verify aircraft design and performance. The CTP is a key participant in the flight test risk management process.

Requirements

Must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Science and 14 years of experience or a Master’s Degree in Science and 12 years of experience or a PhD and 10 years of experience for Senior Staff level position
Military Test Pilot School graduate of USNTPS, USAFTPS, Empire Test Pilots School, or EPNER
Your ability to transfer and maintain the final adjudicated government Top Secret clearance (DoD must be in-scope or enrolled in Continuous Evaluation) and any program access(es) required for the position within a reasonable period of time, as determined by the Company.
Must have the ability to obtain and hold an FAA Second Class medical certificate
Must have a minimum of 1,250 hours tactical aircraft pilot time with 500 hours as Pilot in Command (PIC)
Must have previous experience as a test pilot in a developmental test program
Must have aircraft carrier pilot experience (>150 arrested landings)
Must have strong leadership and communication skills with relevant flight test leadership experience

Nice To Haves

Weapons School graduate
Must have 5th Generation fighter flight hours
Multi-Engine Land and Single Engine Land FAA Commercial pilot license
737 Type Certification
Knowledge and experience with risk management and mitigation
Previous experience leading a military or corporate test organization
Master’s degree in a related STEM field

Responsibilities

Building and sustaining a cadre of skilled test pilots and production pilots to safely execute the flight test program
Ensure early and effective contributions to air vehicle design, cockpit/crew station design and Pilot Vehicle Interface areas
Support the Chief Engineer on various design trades and analysis
Chair the pilot working group
Provide flight experienced leadership in critical program phases and reviews, such as SRR, PDR, CDR, FRR, and TRR
Provide direction to engineers on design definition, simulator flights, test planning, test card writing, flight test techniques, test conduct, test reporting, and proposal preparation
Ensure effective test pilot training, FTE training, MCR training and ensuring proficiency of staff
Perform initial flights on prototypes and test articles for new clean sheet air vehicles
Plan, develop, and perform flight tests to verify air worthiness, performance capabilities, and mission effectiveness using various simulators, surrogate aircraft, test-bed aircraft, and the program air vehicle.
Partner closely with the Directors of Test and Safety to ensure that the test team is conducting safe and effective ground and flight test operations
Collaborate with Service test pilots as well as Integrated Test Team personnel
Develop standards and protocols and ensure lessons learned are communicated with appropriate teams
Develop and manage the test vehicle pilot handbook and eventual NATOPS manual

Benefits

Relocation assistance may be available
health insurance coverage
life and disability insurance
savings plan
Company paid holidays and paid time off (PTO) for vacation and/or personal business
overtime
shift differential
discretionary bonus
Annual bonuses
Long Term Incentives (for VP or Director positions)