Principal Test Engineer

Principal Test Engineer

DPG is seeking a Principal Test Engineer to support a mission critical customer in a defense and aerospace environment. This role is best suited for a senior test engineer with deep hands on experience planning, developing, executing, and documenting verification and validation activities for complex hardware, software, RF, EO/IR, radar, or integrated systems.

The ideal candidate is a technical leader who can own test strategy, ensure full requirements coverage, drive readiness reviews, analyze results, lead root cause investigations, and coordinate corrective action across engineering, quality, manufacturing, and program teams. This person must be comfortable working in a dynamic technical environment where test execution, documentation quality, safety, security, and mission delivery all matter.

Job Description

DPG is hiring a Principal Test Engineer to support the planning, development, execution, and documentation of verification and validation activities for deliverable complex hardware or integrated systems. The selected candidate will provide technical leadership across the test lifecycle, ensure full requirement coverage, support test readiness, and drive test excellence across program execution.

This role requires a strong foundation in system and subsystem level testing, requirements analysis, verification methodologies, technical documentation, defect analysis, test instrumentation, data acquisition, and cross functional engineering coordination. The selected candidate will work closely with systems engineering, design engineering, quality, manufacturing, and program leadership to ensure test activities are properly planned, executed, documented, and closed.

What You Will Do

• Develop, review, and maintain test plans, test procedures, test readiness documentation, and verification artifacts.
• Lead execution of system, integration, functional, performance, and environmental tests.
• Support system and subsystem level testing for hardware, software, RF, EO/IR, radar, or equivalent complex systems.
• Ensure verification coverage and traceability to requirements.
• Close test related artifacts and support formal documentation of test results.
• Analyze test results, identify issues, support defect analysis, and perform root cause investigations.
• Coordinate corrective actions with engineering, quality, manufacturing, and program stakeholders.
• Lead peer reviews, technical assessments, test readiness reviews, and other formal engineering reviews.
• Partner closely with systems engineering, design engineering, quality, manufacturing, and program leadership.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to entry level and mid level engineers.
• Ensure test activities comply with safety, security, export control, quality, and applicable program requirements.
• Drive process improvements, automation initiatives, and test capability upgrades.
• Prepare technical documentation, formal test reports, briefings, and engineering assessments.
• Support dynamic program priorities while maintaining strong attention to detail, documentation quality, and execution discipline.

Qualifications You Must Have

• 8 or more years of experience in test engineering, systems engineering, hardware test, software test, RF test, EO/IR test, radar test, or related technical engineering work.
• Experience leading system or subsystem level testing for complex hardware, software, RF, EO/IR, radar, or integrated systems.
• Strong understanding of requirements analysis, verification planning, validation methods, and traceability.
• Experience developing, reviewing, and maintaining test plans, test procedures, test readiness documentation, and formal test reports.
• Experience executing system, integration, functional, performance, environmental, or qualification tests.
• Experience with test instrumentation, data acquisition tools, defect analysis, troubleshooting, and technical problem resolution.
• Experience analyzing test results and supporting root cause investigations.
• Experience coordinating corrective actions across engineering, quality, manufacturing, and program teams.
• Ability to lead cross functional teams and drive technical decisions.
• Strong problem solving, analytical, and root cause analysis skills.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain technical findings clearly.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage dynamic workloads and competing program priorities.
• Ability to work independently and in team oriented environments.
• Demonstrated initiative, accountability, and commitment to assigned responsibilities.
• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering is preferred.
• Must be a U.S. Citizen.

Qualifications We Prefer

• Experience with automated test frameworks and scripting languages such as Python, MATLAB, or LabVIEW.
• Experience with design engineering, system architecture, modeling and simulation, or integration and test activities.
• Experience in defense, aerospace, or highly regulated product environments.
• Experience…