Development Test Engineer (Aerospace/Defense)

Location: Torrance, California or Rio Rancho, New Mexico; on-site operations are required during critical test campaigns, with extended hours, weekends, and travel as needed.

Company

Early-stage development of advanced defense systems with a focus on rapid execution, ownership, and measurable mission impact.

What you will do

• Own development and qualification testing for avionics, mechanisms, propulsion, structures, and integrated vehicle subsystems.
• Design and build test fixtures, ground support equipment, instrumentation, and data acquisition setups for benchtop, environmental, and system-level testing.
• Author test plans, procedures, and reports aligned with program requirements and qualification intent.
• Execute vibration, thermal, shock, EMI/EMC, functional, and performance testing, including sensor and DAQ integration.
• Lead anomaly detection, debugging, root-cause analysis, corrective action closure, and configuration-controlled test documentation.
• Support integration operations, range testing, flight test campaigns, test infrastructure improvements, automation, and rapid design iteration.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, or a related engineering field.
• 3+ years of hands-on development and test experience, including academic or industry experience.
• Experience planning and executing hardware tests from concept through report-out.
• Proficiency with test instrumentation and laboratory equipment, including DAQs, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and sensors.
• Ability to design and fabricate simple test fixtures and ground support equipment using CAD and shop familiarity.
• Strong debugging, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis skills.
• Ability to work across disciplines in high-ownership, fast-moving environments where hardware is the source of truth.
• Willingness to support extended hours, weekends, travel, and on-site operations during critical test campaigns.
• High ownership, bias to action, attention to detail, and a test-driven engineering mindset.

Nice to have

• Experience testing aerospace, missile, launch vehicle, space, or defense hardware.
• Environmental testing experience with vibration, thermal-vacuum, thermal cycling, or shock.
• Test automation and data analysis experience using Python, MATLAB, or similar tools.
• Flight test, range operations, or hardware-in-the-loop experience.
• Familiarity with requirements verification, qualification evidence, and failure tracking.
• Hands-on machining, wiring, soldering, or rapid prototyping experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Early-stage environment with significant ownership and direct impact on advanced defense systems.
• Fast-paced, ambiguity-heavy work centered on testing real hardware and rapid learning.
• Close collaboration across engineering, manufacturing, and operations.
• Generous benefits package.
• Equal-opportunity workplace with reasonable accommodations available throughout the hiring process.