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Flight Test Engineer

Spokane, Washington, United States

Flight Test Engineer Position Overview:

As a Flight Test Engineer, you will play a critical role in enabling and advancing our flight test capabilities through hardware integration, instrumentation development, and internal tooling. You will work at the intersection of hardware and software, ensuring that diverse systems—from gimbals and sensors to autopilots and data acquisition systems—communicate seamlessly. Your expertise in system integration, software development, and test infrastructure will be vital in building robust, scalable flight test capabilities.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Hardware Integration & System Interfacing:
    • Integrate and configure flight test hardware, including sensors, gimbals, autopilots, cameras, and data acquisition systems.
    • Develop and troubleshoot communication protocols between subsystems (e.g., MAVLink, CAN bus, serial interfaces).
    • Design and implement electrical harnessing and signal conditioning solutions for flight test instrumentation.
    • Debug hardware-software interface issues and ensure reliable real-time data flow during flight operations.
  • Internal Tool Development:
    • Develop custom software tools and scripts for flight test automation, data processing, and system configuration.
    • Build dashboards, visualization tools, and real-time monitoring applications to support flight test operations.
    • Create calibration routines, automated test sequences, and diagnostic utilities.
    • Maintain and improve existing flight test infrastructure and toolchains.
  • Flight Test Support & Data Systems:
    • Design and implement data collection architectures that capture high-fidelity flight test data.
    • Support flight test planning by defining instrumentation requirements and data collection strategies.
    • Analyze flight test data to validate system integration and identify hardware or software anomalies.
    • Generate technical documentation for test setups, procedures, and integration workflows.
  • Collaboration & Cross-Functional Support:
    • Work closely with avionics, software, and systems engineering teams to understand integration requirements.
    • Participate in design reviews to ensure testability and integration considerations are addressed early.
    • Provide technical guidance to flight test operators on system setup and troubleshooting.
    • Present integration challenges and solutions to engineering teams and stakeholders.

Qualifications:

  • Education & Experience:
    • Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related field.
    • Minimum of 5 years of experience in hardware integration, flight test systems, avionics, or related engineering disciplines.
    • Hands-on experience with embedded systems, sensor integration, or autopilot systems is highly desirable.
  • Technical Skills:
    • Strong understanding of aircraft systems, flight control systems, and sensor integration.
    • Proficiency in programming/scripting languages (Python, C++, MATLAB, or similar) for tool development and automation.
    • Experience with communication protocols such as MAVLink, CAN bus, UART, I2C, SPI, or Ethernet.
    • Familiarity with data acquisition systems, real-time operating systems, and embedded Linux environments.
    • Experience with version control (Git), CI/CD practices, and software development best practices is a plus.
    • Knowledge of electrical systems, circuit debugging, and oscilloscope/logic analyzer usage.
  • Soft Skills:
    • Excellent problem-solving and debugging abilities, particularly in complex hardware-software systems.
    • Strong communication skills for documenting technical work and collaborating with cross-functional teams.
    • Self-motivated with ability to work independently on integration challenges.
    • Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with evolving requirements and priorities.

Compensation Range:

  • $135,000- $160,000 + Equity 

 

Candidates for this position must have the ability to obtain and maintain a DoD Secret security clearance.

As part of our commitment to maintaining a safe and trustworthy work environment, Swarm Aero conducts a thorough screening of prospective employees. Candidates will be subject to a comprehensive background verification process as a prerequisite for employment.

To conform to U.S. Government controlled technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

To conform to U.S. Government controlled technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

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