Senior Avionics Test Engineer – Actuator Systems

Castelion; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Medical insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Castelion seeks a Senior Avionics Test Engineer to own validation and performance characterization of control actuation systems on flight vehicles. You will lead test infrastructure, design campaigns, and define performance envelopes for actuators that fly.

This role blends hands-on testing with systems-level thinking and requires collaboration with controls, software, avionics, and mechanical teams to verify actuation hardware under realistic conditions.

Qualifications

• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Aerospace, or Electrical Engineering.
• 4+ years of experience testing actuators, servos, or motion control systems for aerospace, automotive, robotics, or defense applications.
• Strong hands-on experience designing and running test setups involving motors, load cells, encoders, and motion control loops.
• Familiarity with embedded control systems and communication protocols (CAN, RS-422/485, SPI, Ethernet, Automotive Ethernet).
• Proficient in using instrumentation and data acquisition systems (e.g., Python, C++,Protobuffs, custom scripts)
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and lead multi-disciplinary integration efforts.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute actuator test plans across component, subassembly, and integrated system levels.
• Build test fixtures, HIL environments, and automated test rigs to simulate flight conditions and actuator load profiles.
• Validate performance metrics such as torque, response time, bandwidth, power draw, and thermal behavior under nominal and fault scenarios.
• Instrument and log actuator tests for precise characterization and traceability.
• Lead root-cause investigations for performance anomalies or test failures.
• Collaborate with mechanical and control systems teams to refine actuator designs based on test results and failure data.
• Drive qualification testing and environmental testing campaigns (vibe, thermal, EMI) for flight hardware.

Skills

Actuator testing

Embedded control systems

Data acquisition

Python

C++

Education

B.S./M.S. in Mechanical/Mechatronics/Aerospace/Electrical Engineering

Tools

Python

C++

Protobuffs

Job description

Castelion seeks a Senior Avionics Test Engineer to own validation and performance characterization of control actuation systems on flight vehicles. You will lead test infrastructure, design campaigns, and define performance envelopes for actuators that fly.

This role blends hands-on testing with systems-level thinking and requires collaboration with controls, software, avionics, and mechanical teams to verify actuation hardware under realistic conditions.