Lead Production Test Engineer – Space & Defense Systems

Draper Labs; Cambridge (MA); On-site; USD 95,000 - 245,000; Full time

Job summary

Draper, an independent nonprofit research and development company in Cambridge, MA, seeks a Principle Production Test Engineer to guide I&T from development to production for electro‑mechanical and electro‑optical systems used in GN&C, defense, and space applications.

You will design test equipment, author checkout procedures, and train users, while troubleshooting and driving root-cause analysis across programs.

Qualifications

• Requires a bachelor's degree in a related engineering or physics field.
• 7–10 years of Systems Engineering or a similar role.
• Defense background and security clearance preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage and control priorities, scope, schedule, and cost to baselines.
• Derive system-level I&T requirements from mission needs and define test procedures.
• Identify and mitigate I&T risks and issues with customers.
• Act as SME to develop and implement I&T approaches through lifecycle.
• Develop and execute mitigation strategies for program/system risks.
• Create, document, and teach best practices to junior engineers.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Skills

Curiosity-driven

Team collaboration

Fast-paced

Education

Bachelor's degree in Electrical/Mechanical/Computer/Systems Eng or Applied Physics

Job description

Draper, an independent nonprofit research and development company in Cambridge, MA, seeks a Principle Production Test Engineer to guide I&T from development to production for electro‑mechanical and electro‑optical systems used in GN&C, defense, and space applications.

You will design test equipment, author checkout procedures, and train users, while troubleshooting and driving root-cause analysis across programs.