Staff Flight Test Engineer - Experimental Aircraft

Confidential Search - Staff / Senior Staff Engineer, Flight Test

Location: Los Angeles
Employment Type: Full-time
Compensation: Competetive salary + Equity + Bonus, depending on experience and level

The Opportunity

Our client is an innovative aerospace company developing and flight-testing next-generation aircraft propulsion technology. The business is advancing multiple experimental and certification-focused aircraft programs and is seeking an experienced **Staff / Senior Staff Engineer, Flight Test** to support the planning, execution, and reporting of ground and flight test activities.

This is a hands-on technical role for an engineer with significant experimental flight-test experience who is comfortable operating across test planning, aircraft instrumentation, data analysis, safety, and aircraft operations.

The successful candidate will work closely with engineering, aircraft operations, maintenance personnel, pilots, and certification stakeholders to safely and efficiently execute complex aircraft test programs.

Candidates with deeper technical leadership experience and broader certification exposure may be considered at the Senior Staff Engineer level.

Key Responsibilities

The Staff / Senior Staff Engineer, Flight Test will support experimental aircraft ground and flight-test programs from planning through execution and final reporting.

Responsibilities will include:

- Develop detailed ground and flight-test plans, procedures, test cards, and supporting documentation.
- Lead or support execution of experimental aircraft test activities.
- Coordinate test readiness activities across engineering, flight operations, maintenance, instrumentation, and other technical functions.
- Collect, validate, analyze, and report aircraft test data and results.
- Identify technical issues and test anomalies and support root-cause investigation and resolution.
- Support flight-test safety and risk management, including hazard identification, risk mitigation, and participation in safety and test-readiness reviews.
- Support the development, integration, installation, and troubleshooting of aircraft instrumentation and data-acquisition systems.
- Provide hands-on engineering support during aircraft ground and flight operations.
- Work closely with aircraft maintenance personnel and A&P mechanics in support of aircraft configuration, troubleshooting, maintenance, and test readiness.
- Support aircraft logistics, test-site operations, facility readiness, and related operational requirements.
- Contribute technical judgement and flight-test expertise to the broader development and certification program.

The role will be based at the company's primary Southern California facility and will require frequent travel to a nearby flight-test location.

Candidate Profile

We are looking for an accomplished flight-test engineer who combines strong theoretical knowledge with practical aircraft test experience.

Required Experience

Candidates should have:

- A bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
- At least 5 years of progressively responsible experience in experimental flight-test engineering.
- Demonstrated experience planning and supporting aircraft ground and flight-test programs.
- Strong knowledge of aircraft instrumentation, data acquisition, and test-data analysis.
- Experience providing ground-based engineering support during flight-test operations.
- Familiarity with FAA certification requirements and regulations, particularly 14 CFR Part 23.
- The ability to operate effectively in a hands-on, fast-moving aircraft development and test environment.
- Strong written communication skills, including preparation of formal test plans, reports, and technical documentation.

Additional experience that would be particularly valuable includes:

- A master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field.
- 10+ years of progressively responsible experimental flight-test engineering experience.
- Significant responsibility for leading aircraft test programs or complex test campaigns.
- Direct on-aircraft engineering support during experimental flight testing.
- Experience working with FAA representatives, including Designated Airworthiness Representatives (DARs).
- Participation in aircraft development or test programs that achieved FAA Part 23 certification.
- Experience supporting certification test programs and producing certification-quality test evidence and reports.
- An FAA Class III medical certificate.
- Graduation from a recognized military or civilian pilot training program.
- Pilot experience or substantial experience working directly with experimental test pilots and flight crews.

What Success Looks Like

In this role, success will mean becoming a trusted technical leader within the flight-test organization who can independently take complex test objectives from engineering requirements through safe execution and defensible results.

The successful candidate will be expected to:

- Improve the quality and efficiency of flight-test planning and execution.
- Maintain rigorous safety standards across experimental aircraft operations.
- Produce clear, technically robust test documentation and reports.
- Identify and resolve issues quickly during active test campaigns.
- Strengthen coordination between engineering, aircraft operations, maintenance, and flight crews.
- Support the company as its aircraft programs progress toward increasingly mature development and certification milestones.

Reporting & Working Environment

The position reports into the company's aircraft operations / flight-test leadership organization.

This is primarily an on-site position due to the operational nature of the work. Regular presence around experimental aircraft, maintenance activities, instrumentation installations, ground tests, and flight-test operations will be required.

Frequent travel between the company's primary facility and a nearby flight-test location should be expected.

Compensation

The anticipated base salary range is:

$120,000-$190,000 per year + Equity + Bonus

Final compensation and title will depend on the candidate's experience, technical depth, flight-test leadership background, and alignment with Staff or Senior Staff-level expectations.

Confidentiality

This search is being conducted on a confidential basis. Additional information regarding the company, aircraft programs, technology, and organizational structure will be shared with qualified candidates at the appropriate stage of the process.