Test Engineering & Metrology Manager
Energetic Components New Product Development — Aerospace & Defense
Department
New Product Development / Energetics Engineering
Reports To
NPD Director of Engineering
Direct Reports
Test Engineers, Senior Test Technicians, Test Technicians
FLSA Status
Exempt
Clearance
Must be a U.S. Citizen under ITAR/EAR requirements; ability to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance
Travel
Approximately 10%, including domestic test ranges and supplier/customer sites
Position Summary
The Test Engineering & Metrology Manager is a hands-on technical leader responsible for building, leading, and maturing the test engineering and metrology function that supports new product development (NPD) of energetic components—including initiators, igniters, propellants, pyrotechnic actuators, and related energetic subassemblies—for aerospace and defense customers. This role owns the full test lifecycle, including development testing, design verification and product validation (DV/PV), environmental and safety testing, first article testing, production acceptance testing, test data integrity, and final reporting. The manager leads engineers and technicians while remaining technically engaged, ensuring testing is completed safely, accurately, and on schedule in a fast-moving environment with changing customer and program priorities.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and develop a mixed team of test engineers and test technicians, including hiring, performance management, technical mentoring, career development, and hands-on support when needed.
- Own the NPD test strategy, priorities, and execution plan; develop test plans, procedures, qualification matrices, and schedules that trace to system requirements, customer specifications (MIL-STD, AOP, STANAG), and contractual DV/PV requirements.
- Direct and, when necessary, participate in development, qualification, first article, production acceptance, and lot acceptance testing for energetic components, including environmental (temperature/humidity, vibration, shock), safety (drop, friction, ESD, thermal stability), ballistic, electrical, and performance testing.
- Ensure all test operations comply with explosive safety siting, DoD explosives safety standards, OSHA process safety management, site-specific hazard classifications, quantity-distance limits, security requirements, and approved operating procedures.
- Partner with Design Engineering, Quality, Manufacturing, Program Management, and other shared-resource organizations to translate test results into design dispositions, root-cause and corrective actions (RCCA/8D), and design maturation decisions ahead of formal design reviews.
- Manage test facility, fixture, and equipment readiness, including test bay scheduling, calibration and metrology controls, capital planning, test-space expansion, and recommendations for new or upgraded test capability.
- Own test data integrity and reporting, including statistical analysis of results, qualification test reports, test procedures, first article inspection data packages, and documentation suitable for customer, DCMA, and government review.
- Represent Test Engineering in program reviews, technical interchange meetings, and issue-resolution discussions; communicate technical findings clearly to engineering teams, management, customers, and government stakeholders as needed.
- Maintain compliance with ITAR/EAR export control requirements for all test data, technical exchanges, and visitor access to test facilities.
- Drive continuous improvement in test throughput, prioritization, fixture standardization, metrology controls, test automation, data acquisition, and reporting. Apply Lean, Six Sigma, statistical methods, RCCA, and 8D tools to reduce cycle time and prevent recurrence.
- Help shape the future organization and operating model for NPD testing, including resource planning, process development, capacity expansion, shared-equipment coordination, and evaluation of emerging tools such as AI-enabled test procedure and report generation.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Electrical, Aerospace, Chemical Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline. The bachelor's degree is required and may not be replaced by experience alone.
- 8+ years of progressively responsible test engineering experience within energetics, ordnance, propulsion, aerospace, defense, or another highly regulated hardware development environment, including at least 3 years in a supervisory or team-lead capacity.
- Demonstrated experience developing and executing qualification test programs against military, aerospace, or equivalent highly regulated specifications, such as MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-331, AOP-series, MIL-DTL-23659, or customer-specific requirements.
- Working knowledge of explosive safety practices, hazard classification, and DoD or equivalent safety requirements within a test or manufacturing environment.
- Hands-on experience using at least one statistical analysis software package and applying statistical methods to test data, such as reliability demonstration, Weibull analysis, design of experiments, capability analysis, or trend analysis.
- Experience using engineering drafting or CAD software, an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, and electrical circuit simulation software such as PSpice or an equivalent tool.
- Must be a U.S. Citizen and eligible to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.
- Strong written, verbal, interpersonal, and presentation skills, with the ability to coach developing engineers, influence cross-functional partners, manage shared resources, and drive decisions through organizational complexity and changing priorities.
Preferred Qualifications
- Advanced degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
- Active DoD security clearance.
- Direct experience with pyrotechnic actuator devices, initiators, detonators, propellants, airbags, or other energetic-material qualification testing.
- Experience standing up or expanding physical test infrastructure, including test bay design, facility siting, equipment acquisition, capital justification, and capacity planning.
- Certification or working knowledge of ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory accreditation and ANSI/NCSL Z540 calibration requirements.
- Six Sigma Green Belt or higher, Lean certification, formal RCCA/8D training, experience with automated test systems, or familiarity with AI-enabled engineering documentation tools.
- Experience with multiple statistical analysis, CAD/drafting, ERP, circuit-simulation, PLM/PDM, or automated test/data acquisition platforms.
Working Conditions & Physical Requirements