Lead Test Engineer (Fluids and Mechanical Systems)

amca llc; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Amca in El Segundo, CA seeks a Lead Test Engineer – Fluids & Mechanical Systems to own test engineering strategy and execution across hydraulic, pneumatic, and mechanical test programs. You will bridge design and proof while mentoring and developing the team.

Responsibilities include designing and managing test stand infrastructure, specifying instrumentation, and leading qualification campaigns against DO-160 and MIL-STD.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace, mechanical, manufacturing, or materials engineering.
• 5+ years of experience in test engineering spanning fluids (hydraulic/pneumatic) and mechanical/structural hardware.
• Experience leading, mentoring, or managing engineers, with a track record of developing team capability.
• Hands-on experience with test rig design, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems.
• Strong foundation in mechanical engineering fundamentals: thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and static mechanics.
• Strong understanding of fluid measurement, uncertainty analysis, and test data reduction.
• Experience planning and executing qualification test campaigns.

Responsibilities

• Own testing process, hardware, and procedures across prototype qualification and production acceptance testing for both fluid systems and mechanical/structural hardware.
• Develop test methodology aligned with industry standards, evaluate capability options, and plan equipment upgrades.
• Establish company-wide testing policies and set the technical standards the team works against.
• Design and manage test stand infrastructure and create tooling for fluids and mechanical applications.
• Specify instrumentation and data acquisition systems and develop detailed test procedures for development, qualification, and acceptance testing.
• Lead tests including flow, pressure, leakage, proof, burst, endurance, environmental, and structural testing per DO-160 and MIL-STD requirements.

Skills

Test engineering

Team leadership

Test rig design

Instrumentation

Data acquisition

Qualification testing

Fluid systems

Education

Bachelor's degree in aerospace, mechanical, manufacturing, or materials engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

LabVIEW

Python

MATLAB

DO-160 familiarity

MIL-STD test methods

Siemens NX

Job description

Amca is building America’s new industrial base. Since the 1990s, our ability to build new aviation and military systems and maintain the ones we already have has eroded. Today, the gap between what the nation needs to produce and what it is capable of producing is the largest it has been in generations.

To help close that gap, Amca rapidly develops and manufactures new critical components and subsystems required to build and sustain the planes, military vehicles, and core infrastructure America needs. Today, we operate seven factories nationwide, including our advanced prototyping and testing headquarters in El Segundo, and deliver avionics, hydraulic, and electrical components for platforms such as the F-35, F-16, F/A-18, 737MAX, 787, A320neo, A321, Mk-48, and M1 Abrams.

Lead Test Engineer – Fluids & Mechanical Systems

Role Summary

The Lead Test Engineer owns test engineering strategy and execution across both fluids (hydraulic, pneumatic, propulsion component) and mechanical (structural, prototype-to-production) test programs. This role bridges design and proof for the team's full testing scope while also leading and developing the engineers who carry out that work — setting technical direction, building test capability, and growing the people on the team.

Key Responsibilities

Test Strategy and Program Ownership

• Own testing process, hardware, and procedures across prototype qualification and production acceptance testing for both fluid systems and mechanical/structural hardware
• Develop test methodology aligned with industry standards, evaluate commercial versus in-house test capability options, and plan equipment and facility upgrades
• Establish company-wide testing and design policies, and set the technical standards the team works against

Test Design, Instrumentation, and Execution

• Design and manage test stand infrastructure — test rigs, fixtures, and fluid loops for hydraulic and pneumatic hardware — and create custom tooling for both fluids and mechanical applications
• Specify instrumentation and data acquisition systems for flow, pressure, temperature, position, and structural measurement, and develop detailed test procedures for development, qualification, and acceptance testing
• Lead flow, pressure, leakage, proof, burst, endurance, environmental, and structural assembly testing, including qualification campaigns against DO-160 and MIL-STD requirements, while ensuring safe practices for high-pressure and hazardous-fluid operations

Analysis and Reporting

• Reduce and analyze test data with uncertainty quantification, author test reports, and lead root cause analysis on failures
• Support prototype development in the in-house R&D laboratory and feed findings back into design in collaboration with engineering and production teams

Team Leadership and Facilitation

• Set technical direction for the fluids and mechanical test engineers on the team — reviewing test plans and results, coaching on methodology, and unblocking their work
• Manage and grow the team, including hiring, performance management, and career development, and represent test engineering cross-functionally with design, production, and program management

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's or advanced degree in aerospace, mechanical, manufacturing, or materials engineering
• 5+ years of experience in test engineering spanning fluids (hydraulic/pneumatic) and mechanical/structural hardware
• Experience leading, mentoring, or managing engineers, with a track record of developing team capability
• Hands-on experience with test rig design, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems
• Strong foundation in mechanical engineering fundamentals: thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, and static mechanics
• Strong understanding of fluid measurement, uncertainty analysis, and test data reduction
• Experience planning and executing qualification test campaigns

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline
• People management experience in an engineering organization
• GD&T proficiency
• Experience with LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB, or similar DAQ and test automation tools
• Familiarity with DO-160 environmental testing and MIL-STD test methods
• Experience testing servo valves, actuators, or high-pressure fluid systems
• Siemens NX or comparable CAD software
• Experience across multiple manufacturing sites

Annual Salary Range

$135,000 — $200,000 USD

This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a US person as: any individual who is granted U.S. citizenship; or. any individual who is granted U.S. permanent residence ("Green Card" holder); or. any individual who is granted status as a "protected person" under 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3).

The Advanced Manufacturing Company of America prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.