Systems Test Engineer - Space Technologies

AeroVironment•Albuquerque, NM

11h•Onsite

About The Position

AV is seeking an experienced Systems Test Engineer for multiple programs within the Space Technologies division. The Space Technologies division has been developing the techniques, systems, subsystems, and design elements required to implement high reliability opto-mechanical and electrical systems. The Systems Test Engineer is a key member of an integrated team operating in a very dynamic environment. The candidate will work across engineering disciplines to help define V&V statements, develop SW for automated tests and provide overall systems support for multiple programs. The ideal candidate will have a strong electrical engineering and systems test background, with experience developing automated test solutions and verifying complex hardware and software interfaces. The engineer will plan and execute tests on opto-mechanical and electrical systems, harnesses, embedded electronics, and spacecraft communication interfaces, including SpaceWire and MIL-STD-1553.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Physics with 5 - 8 years of experience, or Master's degree in Engineering or Physics with 3 - 5 years of experience
Experience developing and executing automated control and measurement systems using Python, LabVIEW, or equivalent tools
Experience with automated test equipment, automated test software, or system test equipment
Experience developing system-level test plans, test procedures, test scripts, and test reports
Experience with system design, verification, and validation
Demonstrated experience testing and troubleshooting SpaceWire and MIL-STD-1553 interfaces
Experience with SPI and other embedded electronics communication protocols
Experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, protocol analyzers, multimeters, and other electronic test equipment
Experience analyzing test data and troubleshooting electrical, digital, embedded, and system-level issues
Familiarity with environmental test standards for space hardware, such as NASA GEVS and MIL-STD-1540.
experience with signal processing, data acquisition, or automated data analysis
Must be a U.S. Citizen

Nice To Haves

Experience developing automated System Test Equipment (STE) and reusable test automation frameworks
Five or more years of experience performing environmental and system-level testing of spaceflight hardware
Direct experience supporting flight programs for NASA, the U.S. Space Force, the Department of Defense, or major aerospace primes
Experience serving as a Test Lead, Responsible Test Engineer, or equivalent technical lead on complex hardware programs
Experience developing protocol-level test tools, simulators, traffic generators, or error-injection capabilities for SpaceWire or MIL-STD-1553
Experience with SpaceWire protocol analyzers, MIL-STD-1553 bus analyzers, interface simulators, or related test equipment
Experience developing HIL and SIL test environments
Experience integrating automated test systems with continuous integration or continuous test pipelines
Experience with NI PXI, high-speed digitizers, oscilloscopes, switching systems, and instrumentation
Experience with qualification and acceptance testing in accordance with NASA GEVS, U.S. Department of Defense environmental standards, or equivalent requirements
Experience with vibration, thermal vacuum, shock, EMI/EMC, and acoustic testing of flight hardware
Experience with root-cause failure analysis and anomaly resolution for high-reliability systems
Experience with test database management, automated reporting, data visualization, or requirements management tools
Experience with scripting, software development practices, version control, and code review

Responsibilities

Design, develop, integrate, and maintain automated test equipment, including test hardware, instrumentation, software, fixtures, and interfaces
Develop reusable and maintainable test automation frameworks using Python, LabVIEW, or comparable programming languages
Automate functional, performance, regression, integration, and acceptance testing for spaceflight hardware
Integrate automated test solutions with data acquisition systems, instrumentation, simulators, software-in-the-loop (SIL) environments, and hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) systems
Develop automated test scripts and tools for command, telemetry, data logging, analysis, reporting, and test result evaluation
Develop, debug, and execute tests for SpaceWire interfaces, including link initialization, data transfer, packet handling, error conditions, routing, timing, and interface performance
Develop, debug, and execute tests for MIL-STD-1553 interfaces, including bus controller, remote terminal, and monitor functionality; command and response validation; error injection; timing; and bus performance
Develop and execute comprehensive test plans for spaceflight hardware, ensuring all electrical components and systems meet functional and performance specifications
Work closely with electrical design engineers, systems engineers, and software teams to troubleshoot issues and optimize performance
Work with a multi-disciplinary team to achieve system test design automation, integration, SIL integration, and off-site tests
Work with the Systems Team to ensure proper requirement Verification and Validation methodology and execution
Analyze test data, identify anomalies, and provide recommendations for design improvements to ensure product reliability and performance
Support failure investigation, troubleshooting, and resolutions
All other duties as assigned