Principal Surface to Air Missile Test Engineer

Core Focus Areas

The Department of War (DoW) Acquisition Transformation Strategy emphasizes speed, innovation, and results through a streamlined “Warfighting Acquisition System” (WAS). Key areas include:

• Delivering capabilities rapidly to the warfighter
• Tailoring to identify and implement only critical and value-added processes or deliverables
• Prioritizing early prototyping
• Facilitating collaboration with warfighters to secure early and frequent performance feedback
• Driving rapid decision-making

Roles & Responsibilities

• Provide direct oversight of tests conducted by industry vendors, ensuring alignment with program priorities and mission objectives.
• Offer actionable technical and strategic recommendations for improvements to vendors’ testing approaches, system capabilities, and supporting test plans.
• Author comprehensive written summaries of test events for government customer reviews and decision-making.
• Support the implementation of a standardized Test and Evaluation (T&E) database for program-wide use.
• Lead the integration of early and continuous test processes across program stages.
• Mature data-driven test strategies to enable test data reuse and application throughout the development lifecycle.
• Participate in and support T&E reviews, audits, Integrated Product Teams (IPTs), Deficiency Review Boards (DRBs), Materiel Improvement Process Review Boards (MIPRBs), and Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs).
• Support capacity planning and reporting initiatives to ensure resource prioritization for critical testing efforts.
• Collect and analyze data from integration events and provide actionable insights to stakeholders.
• Advise senior government officials on test readiness and assess the technical readiness of test venues, systems, or technology projects.
• Collaborate with government stakeholders, prime contractors, and cross-functional engineering teams to ensure test objectives are met.
• Apply technical expertise to assess test venue, weapon system or technology project readiness for testing and advise senior government personnel on test readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, mathematics, physics, or a similar field and 14-20 years of relevant experience.
• 10+ years demonstrated experience in multi-faceted tests and test project teams, to include oversight of scheduling with a focus on developmental test or operational test (DT/OT).
• Desired: Master of Science/Master of Engineering (MS/ME) degree in engineering, mathematics, physics, or a similar field with 12-18 years of relevant experience.

Clearance Requirements

• Top Secret clearance
• Eligible for Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access