Principal Engineer - Flight Test Systems

Package: £62,775 – £69,750 (salary dependent on experience) + Benefits

Role : SF20601

Are you ready to be part of the future? At QinetiQ, we’re not just imagining tomorrow we are creating it. From cutting-edge defence technology to ground-breaking innovations our mission is to empower and protect lives. Join us as a Principal Engineer
- Flight Test Systems at our Boscombe Down site, where you will have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology in partnership with some of the most brilliant minds.

As a Principal Engineer
- Flight Test Systems, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that the QinetiQ Flight Test Organisation has access to appropriate flight test systems, instrumentation, telemetry, recording and data acquisition capabilities required to support the safe, efficient and rapid delivery of flight test programmes.

Day-to-day, you’ll be responsible to the Head of Flight Test and ultimately to the Head of the Aviation Engineering Centre (AEC). The Flight Test Systems Engineer is also responsible for system architectures and development of Flight Test Systems for flight test and evaluation, and aircraft training aids.

• Develop and maintain a roadmap for flight test systems capability, ensuring that current and future flight test requirements can be met
• Monitor the availability, performance and suitability of flight test systems and identify opportunities for capability enhancement
• Identify, evaluate and implement emerging technologies with the potential to improve the accuracy, efficiency, effectiveness and safety of QinetiQ flight test activities
• Lead or support technology demonstrations, trials and capability development activities to assess the suitability of new flight test technologies
• Act as a subject matter expert and provide technical advice to the QinetiQ Flight Test Organisation and wider AEC Project Delivery Teams on all matters relating to flight test systems
• Advise Flight Test Engineers, Test Conductors, Test Pilots, AEC Solution Leads and Engineers on instrumentation architectures, measurement techniques, telemetry solutions, data acquisition systems and associated technologies

• Extensive knowledge and experience of flight test systems gained by working as part of a team delivering complex flight test programmes
• Knowledge and understanding of how to integrate flight test system in certified and non-certified aircraft and typical accuracy requirements
• Demonstrable evidence of competency and extensive experience of working within a flight test systems environment, developing respective system architectures
• Demonstrable evidence of competency and extensive experience knowledge of flight test system architectures, hardware and software
• Knowledge of commonly available data acquisition systems such as ACRA Curtiss-Wright and Safran Heim

• Relevant Engineering Degree or equivalent experience

We value difference and we don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you.

This role is 37 hours per week based at our Boscombe Down site with a minimum average site attendance of four days per week.

MOD Boscombe Down is a unique operational site featuring the longest military runway in the UK. Primarily focusing on providing testing, evaluation and support services for aviation and aerospace systems. Renowned for its extensive flight testing capabilities the site plays a vital role in the UK’s aviation defence contributing to the development, testing and airworthiness of…