Flight Test Director

Location

Lexington, MA | United States

Job description

Flight Test Director/Specialist

MIT Lincoln Laboratory

Lexington, MA

The mission of the MIT Lincoln Laboratory Flight Test Facility is to support research and development programs at Lincoln Laboratory by providing unique airborne test bed platforms, state-of the-art test facilities and expert integration and flight test risk management solutions . The Flight Test Facility research aircraft are flown, maintained, and managed by a professional staff of test pilots, certified maintenance technicians, and administrative personnel. The Flight Test Facility's first priority is safety. All flight operations are conducted by using procedures and equipment that meet or exceed all Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requirements. As a result of various past airborne testing programs, mission-specific procedures have been developed. These procedures and the Federal Aviation Regulations provide for safe, effective and successful operations. The Flight Test Facility was created to support early air-to-air collision avoidance research programs sponsored by the FAA. As the need for more extensive airborne testing increased, the Flight Test Facility expanded to support a variety of Department of Defense and FAA programs. The Flight Test Facility currently operates seven experimentally certificated commercially derivative airborne test beds ranging in size from a small single engine Cessna to large turboprops and corporate jets.

Position Description: Flight Test Director/Specialist

The Flight Test Director/Specialist is an essential member of the Flight Test Facility team and is responsible for conducting mission safety & test planning for all ground and flight tests on the highly modified manned aircraft for the purpose of research and development.

Duties:

The Flight Test Director primary duties include:

• Act as the liaison between the technical groups and the Flight Test Facility
• Responsible for creating ground and flight test plans, flight test cards, and overseeing safety review boards.
• Function as an airborne flight test engineer for handling qualities and performance flight tests on modified aircraft.
• Work effectively with a small team to engage with the engineering customer and ensure a smooth aircraft integration process.
• Coordinate with the engineering customer to understand project scope, build schedules, write test plans (including flight profiles and test cards), analyze flight test risk, manage logistics, and coordinate airspace.
• Coordinate, execute and lead flight test campaigns at off-site locations throughout the US in conjunction with Chief Test Pilot and Supervisor of Flight Operations guidance, which could include logistics planning and provisioning.
• Actively contribute in technical information and test planning meetings, Configuration Control Boards, Safety Review Boards, First Flight Readiness Review Boards, preflight briefings and debriefings.
• Communicate to engineering project personnel the results of test flights (ground and/or flight) including recommendations and lessons learned.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in STEM field (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) required. Degrees in Physics, Aerospace, Electrical, or Mechanical Engineering are desired
• Masters’ degree is a plus
• Ability to obtain a FAA Medical Certificate (minimum third class)
• Previous experience as a Flight Test Engineer, Test Director, or Test Pilot (desired)
• Graduate of a SETP recognized test pilot school (desired)
• Private or Commercial Pilot certificate (desired)
• Flight experience in manned fixed wing aircraft (desired)
• Knowledge of MATLAB and Labview software (desired)
• Familiarity with FAA and/or DoD certification and airworthiness processes and procedures is a plus
• Knowledge and experience in DCMA -Defense Contract Management Agency processes are a plus
• Interpersonal skills necessary to work effectively with a variety of individuals, departments and organizations.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Ability and willingness to work with irregular hours and work days
• Ability to travel on short notice
• Must be able to obtain and maintain government (DoD) clearance

To Apply:

For full position description, and to apply, please visit and search using requisition #

For Benefits Information, click 

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information; U.S. citizenship is required.

Job Description

At MIT Lincoln Laboratory, our exceptional career opportunities include many outstanding benefits to help you stay healthy, feel supported, and enjoy a fulfilling work-life balance. Benefits offered to employees include: 

• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision plans
• MIT-funded pension
• Matching 401K
• Paid leave (including vacation, sick, parental, military, etc.)
• Tuition reimbursement and continuing education programs
• Mentorship programs
• A range of work-life balance options
• ... and much more!

Please visit our Benefits page for more information. As an employee of MIT, you can also take advantage of  other voluntary benefits, discounts and perks .

Selected candidate will be subject to a pre-employment background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret level DoD security clearance.

MIT Lincoln Laboratory is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, veteran status, disability status, or genetic information; U.S. citizenship is required.

Requisition ID: 40802 

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