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.