Engineer, Systems Test

About the role

Reporting to the Manager of System Integration and Simulation Test, the Flight Simulation Engineer develops, validates, controls, and continuously improves the aircraft flight simulation model throughout the full aircraft lifecycle. The role delivers simulation models and validation evidence that support aircraft design, systems integration, pilot-in-the-loop evaluation, flight-test preparation, certification, and simulator qualification.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and refine assigned areas of the aircraft 6-DOF simulation model, which may include aerodynamic forces and moments, mass properties, propulsion effects, ground handling, atmospheric effects, and control-surface interactions.
• Translate aero databases, stability/control derivatives, wind-tunnel results, CFD outputs, and engineering assumptions into validated simulation parameters.
• Correlate the simulation model against wind-tunnel, CFD, analytical, ground-test, and flight-test data.
• Analyze correlation results and recommend updates to aerodynamic coefficients, trim behavior, control effectiveness, stall-onset behavior, damping, transient response, and edge-of-envelope characteristics in coordination with the responsible technical disciplines.
• Develop model verification and validation plans for assigned functions, define objective pass/fail criteria, document model limitations and assumptions, maintain requirements traceability, and support baselined model releases under established configuration-control processes.
• Develop and execute validation test cases for handling qualities, performance, stability, control response, and special-case flight conditions, with review by the appropriate technical stakeholders.
• Contribute to and maintain assigned portions of the model maturation roadmap in coordination with Aerodynamics, Flight Sciences, Flight Controls, Systems, Flight Test, Software, and Certification. Track model updates across early design, wind-tunnel and CFD activities, ground test, flight test, certification, production, and in-service changes.
• Support the long-term objective of Level D simulator qualification by preparing model validation evidence, documenting objective test comparisons, ensuring repeatability, and following established configuration-control processes in support of the applicable qualification test guide.
• Coordinate with aerodynamics, flight sciences, flight controls, systems, flight test, software, and certification teams.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or related technical field. An advanced degree is preferred.
• 4–7 years of relevant experience developing, integrating, validating, or maintaining aircraft flight dynamics, aerodynamics, or real-time simulation models. A relevant advanced degree may be considered as part of the overall experience assessment.
• Strong understanding of 6-DOF equations of motion, aircraft stability and control, aero coefficient modeling, trimming, linearization, and data correlation.
• Experience using wind-tunnel, CFD, flight-test, or simulator data to update and validate aircraft models.
• Proficiency with MATLAB/Simulink and Python for model development, data analysis, automation, and validation.
• Experience with C/C++ and one or more real-time simulation is preferred.
• Experience integrating aircraft models into real-time simulation environments, including interface definition, timing and execution-rate management, data exchange, software-in-the-loop or hardware-in-the-loop integration, and troubleshooting across simulation components.
• Experience supporting engineering flight simulators, pilot-in-the-loop evaluations, flight-test preparation, or simulator qualification is preferred.

Skills

• Communicates technical information clearly to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.
• Collaborates effectively across engineering, test, software, and certification teams.
• Listens actively and incorporates stakeholder feedback.
• Resolves cross-functional issues constructively and builds alignment.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
• Ability to sit at a desk and work on a computer for prolonged periods.
• Ability to lift up to 20 pounds.

Schedule

This position is remote initially and requires relocation to Florida during Q1–Q2 2027.