Test Engineer

Approach Venture; Denver (NY); On-site; USD 105,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Approach Venture in Denver, CO seeks a Test Engineer to own planning and execution of test campaigns across spacecraft components and systems, from development through flight readiness.

You will build test infrastructure, automate data collection, and partner with mechanical, electrical, software, and systems teams to drive verification, anomaly resolution, and production readiness.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related technical discipline.
• 5+ years of relevant engineering test experience.
• Hands-on experience planning and executing test campaigns.
• Experience with functional, structural, environmental, EMI/EMC testing.
• Strong understanding of how test results map back to requirements.
• Experience with data acquisition, instrumentation, and test hardware.
• Ability to analyze test data and identify failure modes.
• Experience with test automation or scripting using Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, or similar tools.
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capability.
• Ability to write clear technical procedures, test plans, and reports.
• Comfortable working directly with hardware in a fast-moving development environment.

Responsibilities

• Own test planning and execution across component, subsystem, and system-level spacecraft hardware.
• Develop test plans, procedures, readiness documentation, and verification criteria with traceability to requirements.
• Build and maintain test infrastructure including fixtures, instrumentation, data acquisition, automation, and supporting tooling.
• Execute functional, structural, environmental, and performance test campaigns.
• Collect, analyze, and interpret test data against defined pass/fail criteria.
• Develop scripts and automation to improve test repeatability, efficiency, and data quality.
• Lead anomaly investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective-action efforts.
• Partner closely with mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, systems, and manufacturing teams.
• Support design reviews and serve as a technical point of contact for major test activities.
• Improve test workflows to support faster hardware iteration and production readiness.
• Support qualification and acceptance testing as hardware progresses toward flight.
• Document test results, anomalies, and technical conclusions in clear engineering reports.
• Help define the broader test strategy, standards, and processes as the program scales.

Skills

Test planning

Test execution

Python

LabVIEW

MATLAB

Data acquisition

Instrumentation

Root-cause analysis

Automation scripting

Requirements traceability

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree in engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

MATLAB

Python

Job description

Test Engineer - Build and own the test systems that take spacecraft hardware from development through flight

Denver, Colorado | On-site

Opportunity Summary

This role will own the planning, execution, and continuous improvement of test activities across spacecraft components, subsystems, and integrated systems. You will develop test strategies, procedures, fixtures, data acquisition systems, and automation while working directly with engineering teams to validate performance and drive hardware toward flight readiness. The work spans functional, structural, environmental, and system-level testing, with significant ownership over test infrastructure, anomaly resolution, and how verification scales as the program moves toward operational systems.

About Us

We are a venture-backed space technology company developing advanced modular spacecraft systems designed to operate, connect, and reconfigure in orbit. The team is small, highly technical, and progressing from flight demonstration toward operational systems. Engineers have broad ownership and work directly on hardware that must survive demanding launch and space environments.

Job Duties

• Own test planning and execution across component, subsystem, and system-level spacecraft hardware
• Develop test plans, procedures, readiness documentation, and verification criteria with clear traceability to requirements
• Build and maintain test infrastructure including fixtures, instrumentation, data acquisition, automation, and supporting tooling
• Execute functional, structural, environmental, and performance test campaigns
• Collect, analyze, and interpret test data against defined pass/fail criteria
• Develop scripts and automation to improve test repeatability, efficiency, and data quality
• Lead anomaly investigations, root-cause analysis, and corrective-action efforts
• Partner closely with mechanical, electrical, avionics, software, systems, and manufacturing teams
• Support design reviews and serve as a technical point of contact for major test activities
• Improve test workflows to support faster hardware iteration and production readiness
• Support qualification and acceptance testing as hardware progresses toward flight
• Document test results, anomalies, and technical conclusions in clear engineering reports
• Help define the broader test strategy, standards, and processes as the program scales

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical discipline
• 5+ years of relevant experience for senior-level consideration
• Hands-on experience planning and executing engineering test campaigns
• Experience with functional, structural, environmental, EMI/EMC, or comparable hardware testing
• Strong understanding of how test results map back to system and subsystem requirements
• Experience with data acquisition, instrumentation, and test hardware
• Ability to analyze test data and identify hardware or system-level failure modes
• Experience with test automation or scripting using Python, LabVIEW, MATLAB, or similar tools
• Strong troubleshooting and root-cause analysis capability
• Ability to write clear technical procedures, test plans, and reports
• Comfortable working directly with hardware in a fast-moving development environment

Preferred Experience

• Experience with spacecraft, satellite, launch vehicle, or other flight-hardware integration and test
• Experience with environmental qualification or acceptance testing
• Familiarity with vibration, thermal-vacuum, structural, or EMI/EMC testing
• Experience with embedded systems, motor or actuator control, or sensor instrumentation
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810, GEVS, NASA, DoD, or comparable verification standards
• Experience standing up a test lab or building test infrastructure from scratch
• Experience developing automated test systems and reusable test frameworks
• Familiarity with hardware-in-the-loop or system-level integrated testing
• Experience supporting manufacturing or production test environments
• Master's degree in engineering
• Previous experience in a startup or rapid hardware development environment

Why Join Us

• Own test strategy and execution across spacecraft hardware from development through flight
• Build the fixtures, automation, instrumentation, and processes that make testing faster and more reliable
• Work directly across hardware, software, avionics, manufacturing, and systems engineering
• Lead anomaly investigations and have a direct impact on vehicle reliability
• Help establish the test infrastructure and engineering standards used as the company scales
• Equity participation through stock options
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Short- and long-term disability insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid parental leave
• Three weeks of paid vacation
• Ten or more paid holidays annually

Compensation Details

$105,000 - $145,000