Strategic Test Planner & Manager - DoD T&E, 30% Travel

Darkwolfsolutions; Mountain View (CA); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 175,000; Full time

Job summary

Dark Wolf seeks a Test Planner and Manager (TPM) to join the Test & Evaluation team. This role bridges commercial innovation and military adoption, embedding rigorous T&E requirements and milestones into non-traditional acquisition pathways across the full project lifecycle.

The TPM will design end-to-end test strategies, translating operational needs into MOPs/MOEs, and navigate regulatory gating to secure early approvals while aligning vendors, Program Managers, and Service test organizations

Qualifications

• 5+ years of directly relevant test planning, test management, and full lifecycle T&E experience within DoD or national security domains.
• Experience with non-traditional acquisition pathways (CSOs, OTAs) and governance frameworks.
• Strong engineering literacy in a relevant discipline (e.g., Aeronautical, Electrical, Systems, Cybersecurity, or related field).
• Deep working knowledge of military and federal regulatory processes (airworthiness, spectrum, safety, cyber certifications).
• Outstanding executive writing, briefing, and cross-functional leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Design end-to-end test strategies translating operational needs and vendor capability claims into structured test plans.
• Embed T&E requirements, milestone evidence, and rapid iteration cadences into non-traditional acquisition pathways from pre-solicitation through post-test reporting.
• Navigate regulatory gating—including flight clearances, airworthiness, spectrum, safety, and cybersecurity authorities.
• Act as a central integrator connecting commercial vendors, Government PMs, and Service test organizations to generate decision-ready evidence.
• Draft clear, technically sound test plans and deliver executive-level documentation to influence project decisions.

Skills

Test planning

Test management

DoD / national security

Regulatory knowledge

Executive writing

Cross-functional leadership

Travel readiness

Security clearance

Education

Engineering background

Job description

Dark Wolf seeks a Test Planner and Manager (TPM) to join the Test & Evaluation team. This role bridges commercial innovation and military adoption, embedding rigorous T&E requirements and milestones into non-traditional acquisition pathways across the full project lifecycle.

The TPM will design end-to-end test strategies, translating operational needs into MOPs/MOEs, and navigate regulatory gating to secure early approvals while aligning vendors, Program Managers, and Service test organizations