Engineer Systems Test 5

Required travel: 11 - 25%. Full-time, hourly, non-exempt position.

About the role

HII Mission Technologies has an immediate opportunity for a Senior Test and Evaluation (T&E) Subject Matter Expert (SME) supporting the Propulsion Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH. The Senior T&E SME provides strategic guidance to Government and Program leadership while contributing directly to the development of key T&E products, plans, assessments, and documentation. This is a hands-on leadership role that balances strategic thinking with day-to-day execution, ensuring high-quality products are delivered on schedule.

The ideal candidate for this role enjoys solving complex technical challenges, leads through technical expertise and collaboration, is equally comfortable advising senior acquisition leaders, mentoring junior test engineers and managers, and personally producing detailed technical products that drive successful T&E activities, and takes ownership of deliverables from concept through completion.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an advisor to Government leadership on Test and Evaluation strategy, balancing technical risk, program affordability, schedule, and operational effectiveness
• Develop enterprise-level T&E approaches that align developmental testing, operational testing, digital engineering, and systems engineering activities with acquisition milestones
• Lead integration of T&E considerations into acquisition planning, technical reviews, milestone decisions, and program execution
• Evaluate propulsion technology maturation strategies and recommend test approaches that reduce technical risk while accelerating transition to production
• Assess the adequacy of test strategies and provide recommendations to Government leadership
• Identify technical, schedule, manufacturing, and integration risks that may impact propulsion development and recommend mitigation strategies
• Facilitate Integrated Test Teams and cross-functional working groups
• Build consensus among engineering, logistics, airworthiness, program management, and operational users
• Present complex technical issues to senior leaders in a manner that enables informed acquisition decisions

Requirements

• Active SECRET clearance with ability to obtain TOP SECRET with SCI (TS/SCI) clearance
• 15 years of relevant experience with Bachelor’s degree, ten (10) of those years must be as a Test Manager or similar role; or thirteen (13) years relevant experience with Master’s in related field, eight (8) of those years must as a Test Manager or similar role
• Deep understanding and demonstrated application of DoD and Air Force program management policies and procedures, test resource planning, and test infrastructure
• Ability to work effectively both independently and as a part of a collaborative team
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills

Preferred Qualifications

• 15 years of progressively increasing leadership responsibility supporting defense T&E activities for hardware-based weapon systems
• Experience supporting the development, integration, verification, or evaluation of military aircraft, propulsion systems, weapons, munitions, avionics, sensors, or other complex defense hardware
• Demonstrated experience serving as a Test Manager for one or more Major Defense Acquisition Programs or equivalent complex acquisition efforts, supporting Developmental Test (DT), Operational Test (OT), or integrated DT/OT activities throughout the acquisition lifecycle
• Experience influencing acquisition strategy through planning and participating in Integrated Test Teams (ITT) and development of integrated test strategies, Test and Evaluation Master Plans (TEMPs), Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs), risk assessments, and executive recommendations
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate competing technical approaches and advise senior decision-makers on cost, schedule, performance, and technical tradeoffs
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams through Test Readiness Reviews, Flight Readiness Reviews, Failure Review Boards, test planning, and requirements verification
• Deep understanding of DoDI 5000.89, DAFI 99-103, and DAFPD 99-1
• Experience supporting propulsion development, propulsion system integration, engine certification and airworthiness, ground test and flight test planning, and configuration management
• Experience integrating digital engineering, modeling and simulation, or software-based verification activities into hardware-focused programs

Physical Requirements

• May require working in an office, industrial, shipboard, or laboratory environment
• Capable of climbing ladders and tolerating confined spaces and extreme temperature variances

Pay

Anticipated salary range: $131,186.00 - $165,000.00.