About Careertakes

👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, Engineering.

Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.

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What You’ll Do

Confidential Client is hiring an entry-level Test Engineer to join the Flight Test Instrumentation team supporting UAV flight test programs. This hands-on role requires building, installing, testing, and troubleshooting flight-hardened instrumentation and data-acquisition systems across the product line.

• Aid in developing flight-hardened instrumentation systems tailored to flight test objectives
• Conduct bench and system-level tests of instrumentation and data networks to validate methods and accuracy
• Install sensors and data-acquisition hardware on aircraft and perform system checkout prior to flights
• Troubleshoot electromechanical and data-acquisition systems in real time during test events
• Develop and maintain test procedures, technical specifications, and test reports
• Provide system health monitoring and actionable anomaly reports to software and hardware teams
• Perform modal and ground vibration tests on components on- and off-aircraft
• Coordinate with flight operations, test engineers, technicians, and program management to execute test plans
• Assist project engineers with scheduling and logistics for unmanned flight tests when needed
• Prioritize tasks, adapt to shifting schedules, and support on-site and remote test activities (may require extended hours)

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Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent engineering experience
• Comfortable working directly with hardware and company systems in hands-on environments
• Strong technical troubleshooting skills and the ability to learn new tools and systems quickly
• Proficiency analyzing test data and presenting results (Excel and Microsoft Office)
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication for documenting procedures and reporting results
• Ability to work independently and in teams; reliable and organized
• Willingness to travel and support remote test events — travel roughly ~50%
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD security clearance is required

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Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Familiarity with programmable sensors and a variety of data-acquisition systems
• Hands-on experience with vibration, temperature, and pressure measurement methods
• Basic understanding of signal processing concepts: windowing, filtering, aliasing, FFTs
• Experience with scripting or engineering languages (MATLAB, Python, C) for data processing and basic automation
• Experience with 3D modeling and fabrication techniques for test fixtures

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Location & Work Model

• Primary location: Poway, CA (role is listed as remote/telecommute-capable but requires frequent on-site and remote field test support)
• Travel: typical travel around ~50% to support fielded test activities across the continental U.S.
• Candidates must be able to support flexible schedules and extended hours during active test campaigns

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Compensation (from source listing)

• Estimated pay shown in the source listing: $103,944 per year (estimated). Actual compensation offered by Confidential Client may vary and will be disclosed in compliance with applicable state pay-transparency laws.

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What We Value

Confidential Client and Careertakes welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and encourage candidates who demonstrate curiosity, practical problem-solving, and strong collaboration skills. This role suits self-starters who enjoy hands-on engineering work in a dynamic flight-test environment.

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Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency

Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.

If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.