Autonomous Flight Test & Validation Engineer

Hardware FYI; Alameda, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary with equity

Relocation support

Health benefits

6% retirement matching

Flexible PTO

Free lunches and snacks

AI tools and subscriptions

Job summary

Poseidon Aerospace is seeking a Test and Validation Engineer to build and run hardware-in-the-loop benches, simulation environments, and validators to ensure flight software and avionics pass before flight. You will also design environmental and durability tests on aircraft hardware and integrate sensor and actuator models into simulations.

The role requires 2+ years in testing electromechanical or embedded systems, strong Python and C/C++ skills, and hands-on debugging with vehicle data buses.

Qualifications

• B.S. in electrical, mechanical, aerospace, or related field or equivalent experience.
• 2+ years testing complex electromechanical or embedded systems.
• Proficiency in Python and working knowledge of C or C++.
• Experience building or operating hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop, or automated test systems.
• Hands-on electrical debugging skills and familiarity with common vehicle data buses.

Responsibilities

• Bring up and maintain hardware-in-the-loop benches with flight computers, actuators, sensors, and power hardware in the loop.
• Maintain the software-in-the-loop environment and the real-time simulation that drives the benches.
• Integrate vehicle, sensor, and actuator models from GNC and flight sciences into the simulation.
• Write validators: automated checks that evaluate simulation, bench, and flight data against requirements.
• Build automated regression testing that runs each flight software release through simulation and hardware-in-the-loop.
• Develop fault injection for sensor, actuator, data bus, and power failures.
• Build data pipelines and analysis tooling for test and flight data.
• Design and run environmental and durability tests on aircraft hardware, including vibration, thermal, and ingress.
• Integrate instrumentation and data acquisition on test rigs.
• Write test plans and procedures from requirements and failure mode analyses, and report results.
• Investigate anomalies found in test and drive root cause with the owning team.
• Support aircraft ground test and flight test with validators and data analysis, including travel to our flight test site.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Embedded testing

Hardware-in-the-loop

Vehicle data buses

Education

B.S. in Electrical, Mechanical, Aerospace, or related field

Tools

Speedgoat

dSPACE

NI

Job description

Poseidon Aerospace is seeking a Test and Validation Engineer to build and run hardware-in-the-loop benches, simulation environments, and validators to ensure flight software and avionics pass before flight. You will also design environmental and durability tests on aircraft hardware and integrate sensor and actuator models into simulations.

The role requires 2+ years in testing electromechanical or embedded systems, strong Python and C/C++ skills, and hands-on debugging with vehicle data buses.