Lead Test Platform Engineer

Job description

## Role Overview The **Lead Test Platform Engineer** will be the technical owner of the end-to-end Test Platform environment used for spacecraft integration, verification, validation, and manufacturing. This is a **senior, hands-on technical leadership role** responsible for the architecture, development, integration, deployment, operation, and continuous improvement of spacecraft Test Stations, Test Benches, SIL/HIL environments, and associated EGSE/SCOE. The role requires someone who can operate across **hardware, software, Linux infrastructure, networking, instrumentation, spacecraft interfaces, Electrical/RF GSE, and test automation**, while providing technical direction to multidisciplinary engineering teams. A key focus will be moving from program-specific test setups toward **reusable, configurable, reliable, maintainable, and scalable Test Platforms** that can support increasing spacecraft production. The Lead Test Platform Engineer will work closely with Systems Engineering, AIT, Software, Avionics, Electrical, RF/Payload, Design Engineering, D2M, Industrial Operations, Infrastructure, and Program teams. ### Must Haves: - Significant engineering experience owning **complex Test Stations, SIL/HIL platforms, integration environments, or similar multidisciplinary test systems**. - Demonstrated experience taking Test Platforms from **requirements and architecture through build, integration, commissioning, deployment, and operational support**. - Strong hands-on **hardware/software/system integration** experience. - Strong practical experience with **Linux environments, networking, compute infrastructure, and system troubleshooting**. - Strong **Python and scripting** capability. - Practical experience with **Git/GitLab, CI/CD, containers, configuration management, and automated deployment**. - Experience integrating hardware, software, instrumentation, embedded devices, and communication interfaces within test environments. - Ability to troubleshoot complex failures spanning **hardware, software, networking, instrumentation, and system interfaces**. - Experience leading **architecture/design reviews and root-cause investigations**. - Demonstrated technical leadership across **multidisciplinary engineering teams**. - Strong systems-level thinking with the ability to remain **technically hands-on**. - Strong cross-functional communication and engineering judgement. - Ability to establish technical ownership, engineering standards, and scalable approaches rather than relying on one-off solutions. ### Nice to Haves: - Experience within **spacecraft, satellite, aerospace, or similarly complex hardware development environments**. - Experience supporting **AIT, spacecraft integration, verification, or manufacturing campaigns**. - Hands-on exposure to **Electrical EGSE/SCOE and/or RF EGSE/SCOE**. - Experience designing or operating **spacecraft electrical, RF, communication, power, or signal interfaces**. - Experience with **instrumentation and data-acquisition systems**. - Experience working with **embedded hardware or embedded devices** within test environments. - Experience developing or improving **automated test execution, monitoring, diagnostics, and validation systems**. - Experience standardizing Test Platforms across multiple programs or products. - Experience improving **platform reliability, observability, backup/recovery, maintenance, calibration, or lifecycle management**. - Experience developing reusable platform architectures while balancing **program-specific requirements with longer-term scalability**. - Previous experience mentoring engineers and building technical capability within a growing engineering team. ### Ideal Profile The ideal candidate is a **systems-level engineer and technical leader who is still comfortable getting hands-on**. They can move between spacecraft interfaces, hardware, software, infrastructure, networking, and operations, bring structure to ambiguous technical problems, and create Test Platforms that become increasingly **predictable, reproducible, maintainable, and scalable** as the organization grows.