Flight Test Director

Description

SAIC is seeking highly experienced Flight Test Director to support the NSWC Crane Multi-Service Advanced Capabilities Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) Test Execution Team. The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in executing hypersonic flight test missions, overseeing mission planning and execution, and directing multi-disciplinary teams to accomplish high-stakes objectives in a dynamic environment. The ideal candidate will leverage their extensive experience in flight test operations, team leadership, and mission execution within the defense industry.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide leadership and oversight as for hypersonic flight test operations, ensuring preparedness and effective collaboration among Mission Execution Team (MET) members, including stakeholders such as NSWC Crane, combatant commands, DOT&E, and other external agencies.

• Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of complex, multi-phase hypersonic test campaigns, including action item management, resource allocation, risk analysis, and contingency planning.

• Prepare and execute mission-critical documentation, including Checklists, Test Constraints Documents, Launch Decision Briefings, Communications Matrices, and Test Plans, to support mission walk-up activities.

• Direct cross-functional teams on-site during test execution at various test facilities, ensuring successful completion of planned objectives even under compressed timelines and challenging circumstances.

• Develop strategies for robust system integration, ensuring distributed assets are synchronized and meet system performance benchmarks.

• Chair working group sessions, support on console training, and conduct readiness briefings to prepare test personnel.

• Adjudicate on-site test observations, mitigating risks, and ensuring data collection supports robust system evaluation and operational readiness assessments.

• Mentor and train junior test engineers, technical personnel, and early-career professionals, fostering knowledge transfer and skill-building through direct guidance and oversight.

Qualifications

Education and Experience:

• Bachelors in an Engineering Discipline and nine (9) years of experience or Masters and seven (7) years of experience.

• Defense Acquisition University (DAU) Certifications :

• Practitioner Level Certification in Test & Evaluation

• Level II - Test & Evaluation

• Level I - Systems Engineering

• Interim Secret clearance required with ability to obtain TS/SCI.

• Experience in flight test planning, management, and execution within the Department of Defense (DoD).

• Demonstrated experience as a Mission Test Director or equivalent with a proven record of success in overseeing and directing test missions, including multi-phase campaigns with distributed assets.

• Expertise in authoring mission-critical documents such as execution checklists, test constraints, and risk mitigation plans.

• Skilled in leading cross-functional teams and collaboration with key stakeholders, including government organizations, combatant commands, and external agencies.

• Recognized ability to solve complex problems autonomously while maintaining composure under high-pressure scenarios.

• Strong understanding of hypersonic systems, missile defense, and related test architectures.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Previous experience with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), particularly as part of the Flight Test Directorate.

• Knowledge of hypersonic test beds, including MACH-TB systems or equivalent advanced defense platforms.

• Familiarity with Wallops, Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) and other test sites.

• Hands-on experience with integrating and evaluating high-risk defense systems, including large-scale multi-stakeholder test campaigns.

Target salary range: $120,001 - $160,000. The estimate displayed represents the typical salary range for this position based on experience and other factors.

REQNUMBER: 2616942

SAIC is a premier technology integrator, solving our nation's most complex modernization and systems engineering challenges across the defense, space, federal civilian, and intelligence markets. Our robust portfolio of offerings includes high-end solutions in systems engineering and integration; enterprise IT, including cloud services; cyber; software; advanced analytics and simulation; and training. We are a team of 23,000 strong driven by mission, united purpose, and inspired by opportunity. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $6.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For information on the benefits SAIC offers, see Working at SAIC. EOE AA M/F/Vet/Disability