Flight Research Engineer

Location: Edwards Air Force Base, CA, USA

Work Location: onsite

• Serve as a senior technical lead supporting CyPhER Forge digital twin development, validation, and live demonstration.
• Lead or contribute to the planning, coordination, and execution of accelerated flight-sciences test campaigns that generate high-value empirical data for digital twin assimilation, model refinement, and AI agent training/evaluation.
• Perform real-time and post-flight data analysis, comparing digital twin outputs against measured engineering quantities of interest; identify anomalies, refine models, quantify confidence/margins in the flight envelope, and support adaptive test plan updates
• While supporting under the DARPA PM, coordinate with TPS faculty/staff, students, 412th Test Wing / Air Force Test Center elements, industry partners, modelers, and AI/ML teams for aircraft availability, modifications, range support, resources, and integrated test events.
• Upon DARPA direction, perform the research focused, operations engineering associated with the X-62 aircraft (after the extensive Mission System Upgrade (MSU) modification), which include:
• Assisting the TPS dean of flight research (DFR) to coordinate research efforts and their associated test missions efforts that could utilize the X-62, including TPS Test Management Projects (TMPs).
• Aircraft configuration control, operations security, and scheduling
• Test Execution - Conductor/Director duties
• Develop, review, and approve test plans, safety plans/Test Hazard Analyses, test cards, instrumentation requirements, data collection strategies, and configuration control documents tailored to research objectives.
• Perform curriculum based instructional activities to include onboard instruction, as required.
• Other duties in-line with MTSI’s core value to “Own and Solve our Customer’s Problems”.

• Minimum of 12 years of relevant experience in all phases of planning, executing, and managing flight research and a reputation of being a team player. The demands of the DARPA/Doolittle Labs projects are unique due to their leading-edge, low-TRL research mission focus.
• Experience with digital engineering, digital twins, physics-informed or surrogate modeling, uncertainty quantification, or data assimilation.
• Experience running or executing missions from a Mission Control Room. Qualified (or skills & experience necessary to achieve qualification) test conductor/director (TC/TD).
• Maturity and professionalism to lead the execution of flight test missions, briefings and oversee team of discipline engineers to support Flight Test Operations.
• Work well in a team environment as well as independently. Skilled in making valued, trusted, defendable recommendations to leadership.
• Experience generating test plans, flight test mission material, post-mission & detailed final reports.
• Position requires willingness to accept changing and evolving roles & responsibilities in support of customers’ requirements and needs.

• USAF Test Pilot School Graduate or similar
• Experience with AI/ML and autonomous aircraft systems.
• Experience with research programs within the military flight test domain.
• Wide breadth of aircraft test related experience, examples include sensors, EW, T-2 modifications, fight dynamics/performance, aircraft systems, and system networks.
• Direct experience or extensive familiarization with DoD Class II modification processes, aircraft airworthiness & approvals, and aircraft H/W & S/W configuration control.
• Developmental Test experience