Sr Test Engineer

Sierra Nevada Corporation • Hagerstown, MD

5d • $113,429 - $155,964

About The Position

Do you have an eye for detail and enjoy working with amazing products and tools? Join us in championing and protecting explorers and heroes! As a Senior Test Engineer, you will be responsible for leading the most complex and critical testing projects within the organization. You will develop sophisticated test plans, mentor junior engineers, and ensure the highest level of product performance and compliance with industry standards. The Senior Test Engineer plays a critical role in the planning, execution, and certification of advanced aircraft and avionics systems for U.S. Department of Defense, allied, and international customers. This position leads requirements based verification activities across System Integration Labs (SIL), aircraft integration, and ground and flight test environments. The ideal candidate brings strong avionics expertise, disciplined test planning experience, and hands on execution skills to support development, qualification, and operational test objectives. Our testing approach evolves with the design maturity, extending from initial stages through to post-production follow-ups on subsequent articles. The role involves extensive system testing, aimed at assessing a broad spectrum of mission equipment such as communication, computing, navigation, and surveillance systems, to ensure they meet design and functionality standards. Please note, this role does not require any knowledge or skills related to software or automation testing. The Mission Solutions and Technologies (MST) business area provides affordable, turn-key command/control, communications, integrated ISR, force protection and security solutions worldwide. The MST team has a long legacy of supporting the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, commercial and international customers with years of experience in platform operations, engineering and full lifecycle management across domains – air, land, sea, space and cyber.

Requirements

• Bachelor's of Science in Engineering or related field.
• 10+ years of experience in test engineering or a related role. Higher level relevant degree may substitute for experience.
• FAA Class III Medical Certificate, with the ability to complete Altitude Chamber training.
• Expert understanding of test and evaluation principles and methodologies.
• Thorough understanding of engineering principles and practices.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary design and development teams.
• Advanced proficiency with RF and electronic test equipment, including spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, multimeters, data acquisition units, transducers, and accelerometers.
• Strong knowledge of aircraft avionics systems and architectures, including integration of mission systems, communication, navigation, surveillance, and related subsystems.
• Ability to interpret engineering schematics and technical data, troubleshoot complex systems, and apply structured diagnostic methods.
• Experience developing, executing, and documenting ground and flight test plans and procedures, from planning through requirements-based verification and selloff.
• Demonstrated capability in requirements management, including derivation, allocation, traceability, verification, and compliance documentation.
• Excellent technical communication and documentation skills, with the ability to produce clear test artifacts, reports, and engineering correspondence
• Active United States Top Secret Security clearance with SCI eligibility required.
• U.S. Citizenship status is required as this position needs an active U.S. Security Clearance for employment. Non-U.S. Citizens may not be eligible to obtain a security clearance.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting DoD programs, ISR platforms, and other missionized aircraft efforts.
• Strong familiarity with MIL-STD and aerospace environmental and electromagnetic standards, including DO‑160, MIL‑STD‑810, and MIL‑STD‑461.
• Hands-on experience supporting FAA and/or military airworthiness certification activities.
• Proficiency with requirements management tools, such as DOORS or Jama, for requirement traceability and verification.
• Proven experience serving in a lead test engineering or integration IPT role, including coordination across multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Working knowledge of Product and Quality Assurance principles, including the creation, analysis, and disposition of non‑conformance reports.
• Broad experience with test equipment, standards, and methodologies, including both manual and automated test execution.

Responsibilities

• Planning & Documentation Develop, review, and maintain comprehensive test artifacts, including flight test plans, test procedures, and test reports, in accordance with program, regulatory, and customer requirements
• Pilot program‑level test strategy development, including schedule planning, risk identification, configuration management coordination, and resource alignment.
• Hands‑On Testing Execute developmental, qualification, and flight test activities for mission systems, sensors, and avionics across SIL, ground, and aircraft test environments.
• Operate and configure RF and electronic test equipment, including spectrum analyzers, network analyzers, multimeters, data acquisition systems, transducers, and accelerometers.
• Integration & Troubleshooting Lead aircraft system integration efforts, subsystem functional checkout, and end‑to‑end system verification.
• Lead test anomaly investigations, root‑cause analysis, and corrective action coordination.
• Champion in Test Readiness Reviews (TRR), Safety Review Boards, Flight Readiness Reviews (FRR), and post‑test data analysis activities.
• Collaboration & Leadership Coordinate with systems engineering, avionics, software, program management, and quality teams to ensure test activities align with technical, cost, and schedule objectives.
• Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and leadership to junior test engineers and support personnel.

Benefits

• SNC offers a generous benefit package, including medical, dental, and vision plans, 401(k) with 150% match up to 6%, life insurance, 3 weeks paid time off, tuition reimbursement, and more

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees