Interdisciplinary Engineer (General, Aerospace, Mechanical, and Electrical)

About the Air Force Test Center

The Air Force Test Center (AFTC) is where tomorrow’s Air Force is tested! Long considered the “Center of the Aerospace Testing Universe”, AFTC is truly where Air Force superiority begins. Home to many Aerospace establishments and records, AFTC remains the state-of-the-art leader in Aerospace testing, and provides the warfighter with cutting-edge technology. AFTC does not only celebrate its past, but we continue to lead from the front. Join our team today and make Aerospace history! Don't just watch the future unfold—build it! The Air Force Civilian Service at AEDC is at the forefront of defense aerospace engineering and innovation, from pioneering high-enthalpy arc heater simulation for hypersonic materials to validating large-scale hypersonics test capabilities and long-range precision strike systems. We are seeking talented, mission-driven engineers to design, construct, commission, test, and field decisive ground test capabilities that protect our nation.

About the Role

The Air Force Test Center is looking for full-time Interdisciplinary Engineers (Aerospace / Mechanical / Electrical / Materials), Pay Band and Series NH-0801-03 (Broadband Level III, GS-12/13 Equivalent), to work within the Arnold Engineering Development Complex (AEDC) / Program Management Division (AEDC/PMD) at Arnold Air Force Base, TN.

Mission & Purpose

AEDC is seeking qualified, forward-thinking engineers for multiple NH-03 vacancies supporting premier hypersonics and strike test portfolios: the New Hypersonic Test Facility (NHTF), J-5 Large-Scale Hypersonics Ground Test Facility, and Long Range Kill Chain (LRKC). All selectees will initially be hired into the AEDC Program Management Division (AEDC/PMD) to provide technical oversight, facility design review, systems integration, and engineering checkout:

• NHTF Arc Heater & J-5 Programs (Construction-to-Operations Pipeline): Selectees will initially serve within AEDC/PMD as facility and test engineers supporting the final engineering build-out, technical activation, checkout, and commissioning of these critical national test assets. As construction and checkouts conclude, these engineers will transition directly into the 715th Test Squadron (715 TS) to establish the foundational operational engineering cadre responsible for executing and sustaining long-term test missions.
  • NHTF: High-enthalpy arc heater facility dedicated to extreme aerothermal simulation and materials/thermal protection systems (TPS) testing in direct support of national hypersonic programs.
  • J-5: State-of-the-art large-scale hypersonics ground test facility providing simulated high-mach aerothermal conditions, high-enthalpy flow environments, and advanced hypersonic propulsion integration testing.
• Long Range Kill Chain (LRKC): Operating within AEDC/PMD, this portfolio focuses on complex systems engineering, integrated ground simulation, sensor-to-shooter communications networks, and aerodynamic/propulsion evaluation of extended-range precision strike systems.

Duty Location

Arnold AFB, TN (Tullahoma / Manchester area) (with potential coordination across AEDC operating locations including Hypervelocity Tunnel 9, White Oak, MD and National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex [NFAC], Mountain View, CA).

Pay Band & Salary

NH-0801-03 $89,508 - $138,370

Telework Information

Situational Telework may be authorized based on mission requirements, facility commissioning milestones, test cell schedules, and supervisory approval.

Travel Requirements

Occasional travel (up to 25%) may be required for temporary duty (TDY) assignments to engineering contractors, system vendors, program offices, and partner test ranges.

Incentives

• This position MAY be eligible for a recruitment/relocation incentive. Specifics will be discussed with the Selecting Official.
• This position MAY be eligible for paid relocation (Permanent Change of Station [PCS] costs MAY be paid). Specifics will be discussed with the Selecting Official.
• This position MAY be eligible for Student Loan Repayment (SLR). Specifics will be discussed with the Selecting Official.

Direct Hire Authority

NO 6-MONTH WAIT! Recently retired and/or retiring from MILITARY service ARE eligible for immediate appointment for AFTC positions. The 180-day waiting period has been waived for AFTC to hire recently retired and/or retiring service members under Direct Hire Authority.

Must-Have Requirements (Conditions of Employment & Core Qualifications)

• U.S. Citizenship: Required.
• Professional Engineering Degree: Must possess a Bachelor of Science (or higher) in Engineering from an Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited college or university (or demonstrate qualifying professional engineering credentials satisfying Office of Personnel Management [OPM] requirements for the 0800 engineering series).
• Security Clearance: Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance (at minimum).
• Drug Testing: This is a designated drug testing position subject to pre-employment and random drug testing under the Air Force Civilian Drug Testing Program.
• DAWIA Certification: Position is coded for acquisition; must achieve and maintain the required Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act (DAWIA) Practitioner or Advanced certification in Engineering and Technical Management (ETM) or Test & Evaluation (T&E) within statutory grace periods.

Desired Skills

• NHTF Focus: 2+ years of engineering experience in arc heater systems, plasma physics, aerothermal heating environments, high-temperature gas dynamics, or thermal protection system (TPS)/hypersonic materials test characterization.
• J-5 Program Focus: 2+ years of engineering experience in large-scale hypersonics ground test operations, high-mach flow facility systems, high-enthalpy aerodynamic simulation, air-breathing hypersonic propulsion integration, or high-pressure gas heater systems.
• AEDC/PMD to 715 TS Transition Focus: Engineering experience in facility activation, system commissioning, construction engineering verification, or developing technical Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to transition major ground test facilities into operational testing.
• Long Range Kill Chain (LRKC) Focus: 2+ years of engineering experience in precision strike weapon aerodynamics, radio frequency (RF)/sensor telemetry integration, wind tunnel aerodynamics, or integrated hardware-in-the-loop test networks.

Major Duties

• Serves as a facility and test engineer within the Program Management Division (AEDC/PMD), delivering technical oversight, engineering evaluations, and systems integration across major ground test facility investments.
• Directs engineering reviews of facility design, final construction, hardware installation verification, and technical checkouts for the NHTF arc heater and J-5 large-scale hypersonics test facilities.
• Apply advanced engineering principles to formulate comprehensive Test and Evaluation Master Plans (TEMP), engineering hazard analyses, and facility operational limits.
• Engineers technical operating checklists, fail-safe interlocking sequences, and emergency shutdown logic to establish the initial operational engineering cadre prior to transition into the 715th Test Squadron (715 TS).
• Oversees the engineering integration of critical facility utility systems, including multi-megawatt high-voltage direct current (DC) power supplies, deionized arc heater cooling water loops, high-pressure gas storage, vacuum chambers, and high-enthalpy airflow heaters.
• Analyzes real-time engineering measurement data—including heat flux sensors, optical pyrometers, calorimeter instrumentation, high-frequency pressure transducers, and aerodynamic load balances—to validate test conditions against customer specifications.
• Leads root-cause failure analyses and engineering troubleshooting for anomalies occurring during high-enthalpy plasma arc runs, hypersonic wind tunnel blowdowns, or aer