Flight Test Engineer

Overview: The Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) is the nonprofit, applied research division of the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech).Founded in 1934 as the Engineering Experiment Station, GTRI has grown to more than 2,900 employees, supporting eight laboratories in over 20 locations around the country and performing more than $940 million of problem-solving research annually for government and industry.GTRI's renowned researchers combine science, engineering, economics, policy, and technical expertise to solve complex problems for the U.S. federal government, state, and industry. Georgia Tech's Mission and Values Georgia Tech's mission is to develop leaders who advance technology and improve the human condition. The Institute has nine key values that are foundational to everything we do: 1. Students are our top priority. 2. We strive for excellence. 3. We thrive on diversity. 4. We celebrate collaboration. 5. We champion innovation. 6. We safeguard freedom of inquiry and expression. 7. We nurture the wellbeing of our community. 8. We act ethically. 9. We are responsible stewards. Over the next decade, Georgia Tech will become an example of inclusive innovation, a leading technological research university of unmatched scale, relentlessly committed to serving the public good; breaking new ground in addressing the biggest local, national, and global challenges and opportunities of our time; making technology broadly accessible; and developing exceptional, principled leaders from all backgrounds ready to produce novel ideas and create solutions with real human impact. Project/Unit Description The Force Protection Systems Branch (FPSB) focuses on the prototyping, integration, testing and evaluation of tactical military systems for the protection of personnel and critical infrastructure worldwide. FPSB personnel apply multi-disciplinary engineering expertise to sensors, platforms, and integrated systems, with a focus on small unmanned systems and asymmetric warfare. Program areas include small, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), Counter UAS systems, persistent tactical ISR platforms and sensors, and command and control (C2) architectures. Within the Aerospace and Acoustics Technologies Division, FPSB focuses on opportunities for transition of emerging technologies to address urgent requirements. Primary sponsors currently come from the US military acquisition community. Job Purpose The Flight Test Engineer (FTE) performs the research, planning, development, execution, data analysis engineering, reporting, and documentation of developmental and operational test events of aircraft, systems, and unique capabilities for DOD customers. In this role, the FTE has a multi-disciplinary engineering approach to problem solving and experience with complex integrated systems to include aircraft, avionics, unmanned autonomous systems, weapons, radar, and electronic warfare offensive and defensive systems. The FTE is responsible for development of the test & evaluation strategy, integrated test & evaluation master plan framework, requirements verification and validation methods, design of experiments, test objectives, methodology, and evaluation criteria. In addition, the FTE produces lab, test facility, ground and flight test plans. The FTE has knowledge of DoD test facilities and ranges and is able to direct and conduct test events (lab, facility, ground, flight) and support events as required by the sponsor. The FTE is also responsible for the collection and instrumentation requirements of test data, to include the review and quick look assessment of test data. This position performs data analysis engineering functions to ensure verification and validation of test plans and develops the reporting requirements for test projects. The FTE serves as the engineering subject matter expert of all sponsor and program Test and Evaluation (T&E) events, leads and supports all test plan working groups, test and safety boards, and program and technical meetings. Key Responsibilities Develop test cases from system requirements. Execute tests based on documented test procedures. Record results and perform basic system checks. Develop root cause analyses for test failures or questionable test results. Contribute to technical reports and presentations. Perform data analysis engineering to support verification and validation of test metrics. Additional Responsibilities Responsibilities include testing and evaluation of unmanned aircraft systems and related technologies. Development and systems integration of innovative solutions for Force Protection applications focused on autonomous and unmanned systems. Acquisition and analysis of engineering data. Systems engineering for complex system-of-systems architectures addressing technical and non-technical metrics. Analyzing sensor performance, involving both active and passive sensing modalities, and the physical phenomenology that determines the signatures of targets and backgrounds. Modeling, simulation and analysis of military systems in a relevant environment. Writing technical reports, user manuals, and software; and supporting other engineering-related work as needed. In support of these technical requirements, intermittent travel will be required to test ranges and other government and contractor facilities. At times, responsibilities will be similar to those of a program manager, as the flight test engineer is responsible for all aspects of the test program, including staffing, schedule, and technical execution. Required Minimum Qualifications Candidates currently enrolled in an accredited degree program relevant to this position will be considered. The candidate must have a graduation date of no later than May 2024. Strong aptitude for military research, demonstrated through education and/or experience. Preferred Qualifications Active Secret Clearance. Demonstrated leadership experience. Strong communication skills. Familiarity with concepts of military aviation systems, air defense, unmanned systems, and/or test and evaluation. Programming skills, including Python, Java, C , or AFSIM. Travel Requirements 25% - 50% travel. Education and Length of Experience This position vacancy is an open-rank announcement. The final job offer will be dependent on candidate qualifications in alignment with Research Faculty Extension Professional ranks as outlined in section 3.2.1 of the Georgia Tech Faculty Handbook 0 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or other equivalent technical discipline with relevance to the above job requirements. U.S. Citizenship Requirements Due to our research contracts with the U.S. federal government, candidates for this position must be U.S. Citizens. Clearance Type Required Candidates must be able to obtain and maintain an active security clearance. Benefits at GTRI Comprehensive information on currently offered GTRI benefits, including Health & Welfare, Retirement Plans, Tuition Reimbursement, Time Off, and Professional Development, can be found through this link: Equal Employment Opportunity The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The University is committed to maintaining a fair and respectful environment for all. To that end, and in accordance with federal and state law, Board of Regents policy, and University policy, Georgia Tech provides equal opportunity to all faculty, staff, students, and all other members of the Georgia Tech community, including applicants for admission and/or employment, contractors, volunteers, and participants in institutional programs, activities, or services. Georgia Tech complies with all applicable laws and regulations governing equal opportunity in the workplace and in educational activities. Georgia Tech prohibits discrimination, including discriminatory harassment, on the basis of race, ethnicity, ancestry, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or veteran status in its programs, activities, employment, and admissions. 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