Test Engineer (Starship Development)

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute tests at the engine and component level to evaluate hardware performance and survivability during the mission.
• Repeated ownership of test campaigns, including test plan creation, new system activation, test operations, data review, and test stand equipment design/fabrication.
• Provide daily direction and instruction to technicians to fabricate and integrate test articles and stand equipment.
• Develop and maintain test procedures, sequences, scripts, configuration files, and software.
• Operate and troubleshoot data acquisition and control systems, wiring, and instrumentation. DAQ systems are primarily National Instruments-based.
• Operate and troubleshoot fluid and mechanical systems that include low to high-pressure gaseous working fluids and rocket propellants (including hypergols & cryogenics) as well as structural components and supporting infrastructure.
• Operate mechanical systems; these include test stand support structures, heat exchangers, vacuum pumps, tooling, and fluid components such as valves, reliefs, burst disks, tubing, etc.
• Automate repetitive test operations to increase efficiency and safety.
• Develop innovative processes to increase testing capability and rates, while maintaining high rigor of safety.
• Identify and characterize system pitfalls and potential hazards then work to resolve such anomalies by collaborating with design engineers on improvements for test stands and flight hardware.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, electrical engineering or other engineering field
• 1+ years of hands-on testing experience

Preferred Skills And Experience

• 2 years of hands-on experience with mechanical systems, structural systems, propulsion systems, fluid systems, flight hardware or test operations
• Knowledge of hazardous systems (cryogenic, flammable, hypergolic, pyrophoric)
• Knowledge of high-pressure system design and handling
• Familiarity with instrumentation and control components (pressure transducers, thermocouples, resistance temperature detectors (RTDs), strain gauges, accelerometers, flow meters, load cells, relays, solenoid, pneumatic valves)
• Experience using 3D modeling software (Siemens NX, Inventor, CATIA, etc.)
• Experience with at least one coding language (Python, Matlab, C, C++, Java, Visual Basic)
• Experience reviewing data from anomalies and identifying root cause
• Experience writing and maintaining test procedures and hardware work instructions
• Creative ability to imagine and design from scratch, while retaining low cost, reliability, efficiency, and maintainability
• Ability to read, understand and apply technical manuals, data reports, mechanical schematics, electrical schematics and design specifications
• Ability to communicate well in a collaborative environment - should enjoy working on a team and be able to be work efficiently with others, including in stressful situations such as rapid pace operations and times of limited resources