Principal Range Safety & Flight Termination Engineer

Cummings Aerospace, Inc.

$120K — $145K *
Aerospace & Defense
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Active DoD Secret security clearance
  • Master's degree with 12+ years of experience or Bachelor's degree with 20+ years in missile defense
  • Expertise in Flight Termination Systems (FTS) and ordnance systems
  • Familiarity with RCC-319 and RCC-324 safety standards
  • Knowledge of range tracking architectures like GPS and IMUs
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Willingness to travel for mission deployments

Responsibilities

  • Serve as a Range Safety subject matter expert during flight tests and working groups
  • Oversee development, allocation, and verification of FTS requirements
  • Conduct technical surveillance for FTS hardware and software development
  • Author technical reports on system status and recommendations
  • Represent government interests in technical forums and design reviews

Benefits

  • Telework permitted depending on customer requirements
  • Opportunities for mission-deployment travel
  • Collaborative work environment with government stakeholders
  • Involvement in cutting-edge missile defense technology
  • Potential for career advancement in a complex DoD program
Full Job Description
Principal Range Safety & Flight Termination Engineer

Location: Huntsville, AL
Employment Type: Full-Time
Experience Level: Principal Level
Education: Bachelor's Degree or higher
Security Clearance: Active Secret clearance required
Work Location: Customer Site; telework permitted as customer requirements allow
Travel: Travel required

Position Overview

Created Solutions is seeking an experienced Principal Range Safety & Flight Termination Engineer to support the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Targets and Countermeasures Engineering Directorate. In this role, you will provide critical engineering expertise for Flight Termination Systems (FTS) used across launch and reentry vehicles.

The ideal candidate brings deep expertise in range safety, flight termination and ordnance systems, along with the technical judgment and communication skills necessary to represent government stakeholder interests throughout system development, testing, and flight operations.

What You'll Be Doing
  • Serve as a Range Safety subject matter expert on behalf of the Targets Program Office during flight tests, Range Safety Working Groups, and flight termination testing.
  • Provide oversight of requirements development, allocation, and verification for target-system Flight Termination System (FTS) products, including Autonomous Flight Termination Systems (AFTS).
  • Conduct technical surveillance across FTS hardware and software development, qualification, acceptance, integration, and final checkout.
  • Author technical reports documenting system status, analytical findings, and formal recommendations.
  • Represent government stakeholder interests in technical working groups, customer forums, and formal design reviews.


Required Qualifications
  • Active DoD Secret security clearance.
  • Master's degree with 12+ years of relevant experience, OR bachelor's degree with 20+ years of relevant experience, supporting missile defense or other large-scale, complex DoD programs.
  • Demonstrated technical expertise in Flight Termination Systems (FTS) and ordnance systems.
  • Proficiency with flight safety analysis products and applicable standards, specifically RCC-319 (Flight Termination Commonality Standard) and RCC-324 (Range Safety Tracking Systems Commonality Standard).
  • Working knowledge of range tracking architectures, including GPS, Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), and C-band tracking.
  • Strong written and verbal communication and briefing skills.
  • Willingness and ability to travel in support of mission deployments.


Desired Qualifications
  • Direct experience with Autonomous Flight Termination Systems (AFTS).
  • Hands-on flight test operations experience.
  • Technical experience with RF systems, antennas, batteries, and ordnance devices.
  • 10+ years of experience within the defense and aerospace industry.

Additional consideration: This position is primarily targeted at the Principal/Analyst IV level; however, exceptional candidates with less experience may be considered for an appropriately leveled position.

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