Systems Test Engineer - SME

Joint Activities

$112K — $179K *
Aerospace & Defense
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • U.S. Citizenship Required.
  • Ability to obtain/maintain a Public Trust clearance.
  • Bachelor’s degree with 12 years of experience or equivalent education/experience.
  • Experience in systems or software testing roles.
  • Strong knowledge of systems engineering and testing methodologies.
  • Hands-on experience with test automation tools (Selenium, JUnit, etc.).
  • Familiarity with test management tools (JIRA, TestRail, etc.).

Responsibilities

  • Lead development and execution of comprehensive system-level test strategies.
  • Perform functional, regression, integration, and performance testing.
  • Validate compliance with FAA standards and federal regulatory requirements.
  • Identify and mitigate risks prior to deployment.
  • Collaborate with engineers to ensure systems are designed for testability.
  • Execute manual and automated testing within CI/CD and DevSecOps pipelines.
  • Conduct root cause analysis for system failures.

Benefits

  • Opportunity to strengthen the U.S. aviation system's safety.
  • Engagement in nationally significant modernization initiatives.
  • Positioning at the forefront of mission-driven federal engineering.
Full Job Description
Responsibilities

As a Systems Test Engineer - SME, you will ensure that advanced aviation technologies perform flawlessly before they are deployed into live operational environments. Your work will directly impact the safety, reliability, and resilience of systems that millions of travelers depend on every day. This is not routine testing. This is validation at national scale.

 

Location:

  • On-site at the Tech Center near Egg HarborTownship, NJ
Your Impact

You will serve as a technical authority in system validation driving rigorous, structured testing across complex, integrated hardware and software environments that support FAA operations. In this position, you will:

  • Lead development and execution of comprehensive system-level test strategies and plans.

  • Perform functional, regression, integration, and performance testing.

  • Validate compliance with FAA standards, NIST frameworks, and federal regulatory requirements.

  • Identify and mitigate risks prior to deployment into operational NAS environments

  • Collaborate with engineers, architects, and product owners to ensure systems are designed for testability.

  • Execute manual and automated testing within CI/CD and DevSecOps pipelines

  • Conduct root cause analysis for system and integration failures.

  • Support Verification & Validation (V&V), certification efforts, and safety case development.

  • Participate in design reviews, readiness assessments, and risk evaluations.

  • Ensure test environments mirror real-world FAA operational conditions.

Why This Opportunity Stands Apart

FAA modernization demands precision. Systems must perform without compromise in safety-critical environments. As a Senior Systems Test Engineer, you are the final safeguard ensuring that new capabilities are resilient, compliant, and operationally sound before they support live airspace operations.

 

The mission is consequential. The responsibility is real. The impact is nationwide. Your work will:

  • Strengthen the safety of the U.S. aviation system.

  • Support nationally significant modernization initiatives.

  • Place you at the forefront of mission-driven federal engineering.

Qualifications

Basic Qualifications

  • U.S. Citizenship Required.
  • Must have the ability to obtain / maintain a Public Trust clearance.
  • Bachelor’s degree and 12 years’ experience or Masters degree and 10 years’ experience or Associate’s degree and 14 years’ experience or HS diploma/equivalent and 16 years’ experience
  • Experience in systems or software testing roles.
  • Strong knowledge of systems engineering and testing methodologies (V-Model, Agile, Waterfall, or Hybrid).

  • Hands-on experience with test automation tools (Selenium, JUnit, PyTest, or similar).

  • Familiarity with test management tools (JIRA, TestRail, HP ALM).

  • Experience testing in multi-tier environments (applications, databases, networks, hardware).
  • Experience in performance/load testing tools (JMeter, LoadRunner).

 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Exposure to FAA programs or NAS systems.
  • Familiarity with air traffic, aviation, federal modernization efforts, or mission-critical systems testing.
  • Professional certifications such asISTQB Certified Tester, CSTE, or Certified Test Engineer.

  • Familiarity withsafety engineering principles and hazard-based testing methodologies.
  • Experience developingautomated regression testing frameworksfor federal systems.

  • Background incybersecurity testingand integration with resilience requirements.

#BNATCS

#BNATCS

Target Salary Range$112,000 - $179,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individuals experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay.

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