Hands-On Flight Test Lead — Autonomous Aircraft

Samson Rose; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 110,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Samson Rose is hiring a Flight Test Operations Engineer to lead end-to-end flight-test campaigns for autonomous aircraft in the Los Angeles area. You will plan, execute, and review tests, coordinating with engineering, business development, and test-range staff to drive actionable improvements.

You will monitor aircraft performance, troubleshoot issues in real-time, and contribute to safety and efficiency enhancements while ensuring compliance with FAA airworthiness requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a closely related technical field.
• 5 years of relevant engineering experience, ideally in aerospace, flight testing, or unmanned aircraft systems.
• Demonstrated experience planning, coordinating, and executing flight-test campaigns.
• Working knowledge of PX4, MAVLink, and QGroundControl.
• Understanding of aircraft systems, aerodynamics, and flight-test fundamentals.
• Experience monitoring flight operations, reviewing flight data, identifying anomalies, and supporting technical investigations.
• Familiarity with FAA airworthiness requirements and aircraft testing or certification processes.
• Strong technical documentation, organizational, and project coordination skills.
• Ability to work independently, manage competing priorities, and make sound decisions in a fast-paced engineering environment.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to coordinate effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• A proactive, hands-on approach to problem solving and a willingness to take ownership of test activities.
• Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident due to export-controlled technical data. A security clearance is not required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute flight-test plans and operational procedures for the company's autonomous aircraft.
• Own end-to-end test campaign activities from planning to reporting.
• Coordinate flight-test operations across multiple stakeholders.
• Lead preflight and postflight briefings to ensure readiness and follow-through.
• Monitor aircraft performance, identify anomalies, and coordinate troubleshooting.
• Review flight-test data and translate findings into engineering improvements.
• Develop and refine test procedures to improve efficiency and safety.
• Support FAA airworthiness requirements and certification activities.
• Maintain field-test equipment and ground-support systems.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to investigate issues and improve performance.
• Identify opportunities to streamline operations while maintaining safety.
• Travel to test ranges to support campaigns.

Skills

Flight test planning

Cross-team coordination

Technical documentation

Real-time troubleshooting

FAA airworthiness knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace/Mechanical/Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

PX4

MAVLink

QGroundControl

Job description

Samson Rose is hiring a Flight Test Operations Engineer to lead end-to-end flight-test campaigns for autonomous aircraft in the Los Angeles area. You will plan, execute, and review tests, coordinating with engineering, business development, and test-range staff to drive actionable improvements.

You will monitor aircraft performance, troubleshoot issues in real-time, and contribute to safety and efficiency enhancements while ensuring compliance with FAA airworthiness requirements.