Flight Test Aircraft Engineer

Joby Aviation; California; On-site; USD 94,000 - 158,000; Full time

Job summary

Joby Aviation seeks a Flight Test Aircraft Engineer to act as the technical authority for Flight Test aircraft assets. You will work with Maintenance, Engineering, Production and Quality to ensure airworthiness and proper configuration for experimental testing and demonstrations.

You will approve changes, manage documentation, and support certification activities with cross-functional teams across the Flight Test department.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering or related field.
• Minimum 2 years in an aerospace environment.
• Experience interfacing with aircraft maintenance, Flight Test and systems engineering functions.
• Excellent interpersonal communication across technical disciplines.
• Exhibits strong technical leadership and ownership.
• Able to accommodate travel ~30% of duty.
• Experience as Aircraft Manager on an experimental Flight Test Program is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the aircraft’s primary technical liaison for Flight Test team and engineering disciplines.
• Approve hardware and software configuration changes and maintain BOM and configuration records.
• Coordinate, track and approve all work on the assigned aircraft.
• Manage configuration documentation for traceability to specs.
• Maintain conformity for FAA Type Inspection Authorization (TIA).
• Manage aircraft weight and balance records for dispatch readiness.
• Support conformity and certification activities with accurate data.
• Facilitate cross-functional issue resolution affecting the aircraft.
• Represent status and readiness to Flight Test operations and air crew.
• Manage Safety of Flight compliance for as-configured aircraft and systems.
• Review open non-conformances for Safety of Flight implications.
• Provide operational support during aircraft dispatch for testing.
• Coordinate with Airworthiness to meet FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate requirements.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Leadership

Communication

Teamwork

Travel flexibility

Education

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering or related field

Job description

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

As a Flight Test Aircraft Engineer, you are the technical authority assigned to the Flight Test aircraft assets. Joining Joby's Flight Test department, you will become integral to managing the experimental S4 fleet of aircraft routinely operated for research and development, show compliance and exhibition purposes. A Flight Test Aircraft Engineer interfaces directly with Maintenance, Engineering, Production, Quality, Airworthiness and Certification teams as the representative for the aircraft to coordinate work and troubleshoot technical challenges. The Aircraft Engineer plays a critical role in the Flight Test team being responsible for controlling the aircraft configuration and directly contributes to the safety and airworthiness of the platform.

Responsibilities

• Serves as the aircraft’s primary technical liaison and the interface between the Flight Test team and the supporting engineering disciplines
• Responsible for approving the hardware and software configuration changes on the aircraft and maintains the master Bill of Materials (BOM) and system configuration record
• Coordinates, tracks and approves all work, including modifications, performed on the assigned aircraft
• Manages the configuration documentation to ensure traceability to engineering specifications
• Works collaboratively with Aircraft Quality Control and Certification Engineering to maintain conformity required for FAA Type Inspection Authorization (TIA)
• Manages the aircraft weight and balance records to produce artifacts used for dispatch
• Supports conformity and certification activities by providing accurate aircraft and equipment configuration data
• Facilitates resolution of cross-functional technical issues affecting the aircraft
• Represents and communicates the aircraft’s status and operational/test readiness to Flight Test operations and air crew
• Manages the Safety of Flight compliance status of the as-configured aircraft and systems
• Technical reviewer of all open non-conformances and discrepancies for Safety of Flight implications
• Provides operational support whilst the assigned aircraft is dispatched to coordinate troubleshooting and facilitate on-demand configuration changes required for specific testing
• Works directly with the Airworthiness team to ensure compliance to FAA Special Airworthiness Certificate requirements and manage the associated limitations
• Conducts on-aircraft functional tests as well as rigging and actuator calibration procedures

Required

• Bachelor of Science (Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical Engineering or other technical field) degree or equivalent experience and training
• Minimum of 2 years experience working in an aerospace environment
• Experience working in or interfacing with aircraft maintenance, Flight Test and systems engineering functions
• Excellent interpersonal skills to effectively communicate with colleagues across a wide range of technical disciplines
• Exhibits strong technical leadership and ownership
• Must be able to work both independently and on a team
• Read and speak English proficiently
• Able to accommodate required travel approximately 30% of duty

Desired

• Experience as an Aircraft Manager on an experimental Flight Test Program, preferably including VTOL or STOVL and fly-by-wire platforms
• Civil aircraft certification experience including use of ARP 4754 processes for requirements and FAA AC 23-8C or AC 27-1B for flight test
• Familiarity with FAA Order 4040.26C
• Familiarity with DO-178C and DO-160
• Experience in managing a technical team and projects is highly desired

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $93,600 - $158,400/yr. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer