Flight Systems Engineer – Systems Development SME

Job Title

Flight Systems Engineer – Systems Development SME

Location

EDWARDS, CA 93523 US (Primary)

Category

Engineering

Job Type

Full-Time

Compensation Minimum (USD)

$160,000

Compensation Maximum (USD)

$210,000

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Minimum Citizenship Status Required

U.S. Citizen

Security Clearance Required

Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance

Job Description

Location: On-site at NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC), Edwards AFB, CA, or Contractor Facility

Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Summary

The Flight Systems Engineer – Systems Development Subject Matter Expert (SME) provides senior-level systems engineering expertise to the Flight Systems Branch (Code 540) within NASA Armstrong’s Engineering and Technical Support Services (ETSS) contract.

This position directly supports systems development, integration, and flight-test activities for the X-59 Quiet Supersonic Technology (Quesst) program and other experimental research aircraft. The engineer applies extensive experience across flight control, avionics, propulsion, and environmental subsystems to ensure effective system-level integration, verification, and safe flight operations.

The role serves as a key interface between design, test, and operations teams—guiding complex system configurations through design reviews, ground integration, and flight readiness milestones.

Primary Responsibilities

• Lead system-level engineering and integration for the X-59 and other experimental aircraft.
• Plan and oversee flight system verification and validation activities, including ground and flight test readiness.
• Develop and manage system requirements, interface control documents (ICDs), and verification matrices in accordance with NASA and industry standards.
• Support system safety, reliability, and configuration-management processes to maintain technical traceability from design through flight.
• Evaluate subsystem performance and interface functionality using modeling, simulation, and test data analysis tools.
• Participate in system design reviews (PDR, CDR) and readiness reviews (TRR, FRR) as a senior technical authority.
• Collaborate with discipline engineers, test conductors, and project managers to resolve integration and performance issues across multiple systems.
• Support development of ground and flight test procedures, review telemetry and test data, and author post-test analyses and system-level reports.
• Provide engineering insight and mentoring to early-career engineers and system-integration teams.
• Ensure compliance with NASA AFRC safety, airworthiness, and mission-assurance requirements.

 

Work Environment & Schedule

On-site at NASA AFRC (Edwards AFB) or Contractor Facility.
Typical Schedule: 7:00 AM – 4:30 PM, 9/80 compressed schedule (80 hours over 9 workdays per two-week period).
Work is conducted in office, hangar, and control-room environments supporting ground and flight-test operations.
Occasional extended hours or travel may be required to support test campaigns or design reviews.

Key Benefits and Impact

• Directly support NASA’s X-59 Quesst program, contributing to supersonic research and future low-boom flight missions.
• Influence system integration and flight readiness for advanced research aircraft.
• Collaborate with NASA engineers, pilots, and industry partners on cutting-edge flight-test programs.
• Play a key role in advancing aerospace systems engineering best practices across NASA’s flight research portfolio.

Job Requirements

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or greater in Engineering or Physical Science.
• At least 20 years of related engineering experience, including 5 years as a Principal Investigator, Group Leader, Project Engineer, Project Manager, or equivalent.
• A Master’s Degree may substitute for 2 years of related experience; a Doctorate may substitute for 5 years of related experience.
• Demonstrated technical leadership in flight systems engineering, integration, and test for research or experimental aircraft.
• Direct experience supporting system verification, test planning, and functional checkout for flight vehicles.
• Proficiency with requirements management, configuration control, and system documentation tools (e.g., DOORS, JIRA, Windchill).
• Ability to interpret system schematics, interface drawings, and data-acquisition architectures.
• Strong technical writing and verbal communication skills with multidisciplinary teams.
• U.S. Citizenship required (NASA facility access).

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in Aerospace or Systems Engineering.
• Experience supporting NASA AFRC or equivalent government flight-test organizations.
• Hands-on involvement in X-59 or other X-plane systems development efforts.
• Familiarity with flight control, telemetry, propulsion, or environmental control systems (ECS) integration.
• Knowledge of airworthiness, system safety, and flight readiness processes in a research environment.
• Experience with model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and tools such as Cameo, MATLAB/Simulink, or equivalent.
• FAA Designated Engineering Representative (DER) experience or knowledge of DER processes is highly desirable but not required.

We are equal opportunity/affirmative action employers, committed to diversity in the workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under state or local law.