Wind Tunnel Test Lead

Your role and your team: 

The Laboratory Testing department is responsible for component, system, and aircraft level tests. Our teams develop rigs and run tests that facilitate research, development, and certification in the technology areas propulsion, batteries, structures, and electronics.

In this role, you will work with direct report to the Propulsion Testing team, which is responsible for preparing and conducting tests on the propulsion system and whole aircraft. We collaborate closely with the design team to ensure the most effective testing approach for our product. Your focus will be on wind tunnel testing to support aircraft aerodynamics and flight mechanics development.

As a Senior Test Engineer, you will have end-to-end responsibility of a test from its initial request until delivery of the test data, always keeping the goal of qualification and certification of our aircraft in mind. As recognized expert in your field, you will support and advise our design office with the definition and evaluation of test campaigns, as well as guide your team members on their test projects. You will support the test management and use your experience to provide guidance to colleagues to establish and comply to processes, methods, and best practices for propulsion testing and propulsion system certification (SC-VTOL, SC-EHPS). For test campaigns at external laboratories, you will act as the technical focal point and coordinator as well as support the execution of the test at the supplier site.

For complex test setups which require new facilities, you will be the rig development engineer, including coordination of design and manufacturing suppliers. Moreover, you will guide and implement the development and maintenance of our internal test facility when needed. This includes the preparation of test capabilities based on low-maturity requirements using your testing experience.

Your day to day:

• For each test, you will be responsible of the following activities (whenever applicable):
• Assessment of the test request and refinement together with the design team
• Preparation of a test concept
• Detailed design of the test & measurement setup
• Built of the test setup, incl. coordination of manufacturing and purchasing
• Planning of the test execution, incl. test procedure and risk assessments
• Hands-on execution of the test
• Post-processing of the data and results reporting
• Develop complex test rigs and setups and coordinate our support teams (software, mechanical & electrical CAD, technicians & electricians). This will involve managing key suppliers.
• Evaluate test concepts with idealization of physical effects and first-principle reasoning.
• Create and review engineering documentation for our test setups and results.
• Advise the design team on the detailed definition of test requirements and plans for certification. This will involve interfacing with cross-functional teams from Propulsion, Flight Mechanics, Avionics, Electrical Systems and Chief Engineering.
• Feedback your findings and opinion to the design team for product improvement.
• Support resource & workload planning and coordination with interfacing teams.
• Be a role model for a safe work environment in the lab.
• Constantly learn new things about our test articles and the way we test them – and share them with your team members.
• Work on any ad-hoc projects or tasks.

Your profile:

• University degree in Aerospace Engineering or related field (M.Sc/M.Eng preferred)
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience in aerospace development programs
• Good knowledge and experience in processes, methods, and best practices of wind tunnel model development is required.
• Good knowledge and experience in processes, methods, and best practices of wind tunnel testing within the aerospace industry is required.
• Good knowledge and experience of aircraft level system integration is beneficial.
• Good knowledge of a CAD system (Siemens NX preferred) is beneficial.

Your personality:

• Driven individual with the ability to probe & challenge assumptions
• Ability to work with incomplete requirements and to anticipate customer needs
• High level of self-reliance with the ability to work in a diverse team
• Target-oriented work style with analytic problem-solving skills is required
• Ability and willingness to thrive in a fast-paced, rapidly changing work environment
• Fluent English language skills are essential, fluent German or any other language is beneficial.

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