Range Safety & Flight Termination Engineer

Telesis Research LLC; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Telesis Research LLC in Huntsville, AL, seeks a Principal-level specialist to lead flight termination and ordnance system efforts within DoD missile defense programs. This on-site role requires active DoD Secret clearance and the ability to travel for mission deployments.

The ideal candidate has a Master’s with 12+ years or a Bachelor’s with 20+ years of experience, deep knowledge of RCC-319 and RCC-324, and a track record supporting large-scale defense programs.

Qualifications

• Master's degree with 12+ years of experience in missile defense or large DoD programs.
• Bachelor's degree with 20+ years of experience in missile defense or large DoD programs.
• Active DoD Secret clearance required.
• Experience with RCC-319 Flight Termination Commonality Standard and RCC-324 Range Safety Tracking Systems Commonality Standard.

Responsibilities

• Serve as Range Safety expert during flight tests and testing.
• Provide oversight of requirements development, allocation and verification for target system FTS products.
• Conduct technical surveillance across FTS hardware/software development, qualification, acceptance, integration, and checkout.
• Author technical reports detailing system status, findings, and recommendations.
• Represent government stakeholder interests in design reviews and formal forums.

Skills

Flight termination systems

Ordnance systems

Range safety

Technical briefing

Education

Master's degree

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Requisition #: TLS-26-027 | Clearance: Active DoD Secret (US citizenship required) | Level: Principal | Experience: 20+ years | Education: Bachelor's (4-yr) | Work site: Redstone Arsenal - Huntsville, AL (on-site)

What you’ll do

• Serve as Range Safety expert on behalf of the Targets Program office during flight tests, Range Safety Working Groups, and flight termination testing
• Provide oversight of requirements development, allocation and verification for target system FTS products, including autonomous flight termination systems
• Conduct technical surveillance across FTS hardware and software development, qualification, acceptance, integration, and final checkout
• Author technical reports detailing system status, analytical findings, and formal recommendations
• Represent government stakeholder interests in technical working groups, customer forums, and formal design reviews

Required qualifications

• Technical expertise: demonstrated background in flight termination systems and ordnance systems
• Education & experience: Master's degree with 12+ years of experience, or a Bachelor's degree with 20+ years of experience, supporting missile defense or large-scale, complex DoD programs
• Security clearance: active DoD Secret clearance
• Standards: proficient in flight safety analysis products, specifically RCC-319 (Flight Termination Commonality Standard) and RCC-324 (Range Safety Tracking Systems Commonality Standard)
• Tracking systems: working knowledge of range tracking architectures, including GPS, Inertial Measurement Units (IMU), and C-band tracking
• Communication & mobility: strong written and verbal briefing skills; willingness and ability to travel for mission deployments

Preferred qualifications

• Direct experience with Autonomous Flight Termination Systems (AFTS)
• Hands-on flight test operations experience
• Technical background in RF systems, antennas, batteries, and ordnance devices
• 10+ years of experience in defense and aerospace