Systems Integration and Test Manager

At Zone 5 Technologies, we rapidly develop and field advanced unmanned aircraft systems through disciplined integration, testing, and block upgrade strategies.  We are seeking a Systems Integration & Test Manager to architect and lead a cross-disciplinary engineering team responsible for Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) integration, configuration control, and structured feature validation prior to flight.

This role will build the technical and procedural backbone that allows software, avionics, mechanical, and environmental subsystems to integrate predictably and transition cleanly into aircraft production.

Responsibilities

HITL Architecture & Integration Environment

• Architect and maintain a flight-representative HITL environment
• Define hardware and software integration standards
• Ensure coexistence between hardware platforms and software feature development
• Establish component-level integration workflows (e.g., radar altimeter, avionics modules)
• Validate signals, timing, interfaces, compatibility and performance prior to aircraft installation

Feature On-Ramp & Block Upgrade Strategy

• Define readiness criteria for transitioning features from HITL to aircraft
• Develop structured ground test campaigns
• Create block upgrade roadmaps for production aircraft
• Coordinate with software and flight test leadership for release planning

Configuration Control & Systems Engineering

• Establish configuration management processes for HITL and aircraft baselines
• Control hardware revisions, firmware versions, and software baselines
• Implement traceability between requirements, test cases, and system outputs
• Develop and enforce integration and verification procedures

Cross-Functional Team Leadership

• Manage a team of mechanical, avionics, and software integration engineers
• Coordinate closely with core Software, GNC, Avionics, Electrical Engineering and production teams
• Drive technical reviews, design readiness reviews, and integration reviews
• Mentor engineers in systems thinking and disciplined integration practices

Ground Test & Validation

• Lead structured ground test campaigns
• Define data collection and validation methods
• Identify risks prior to flight integration
• Ensure safe and repeatable test execution

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace, Electrical, Mechanical Engineering, or related field (Master’s preferred)
• 8–12+ years of experience in aerospace systems integration and testing
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary engineering teams
• Strong understanding of avionics integration, signal timing, and embedded systems
• Experience with HITL environments and system-level validation
• Familiarity with configuration management tools and processes Preferred
• Experience using CAMEO Systems Modeler for system architecture development, requirements traceability, interface definition, and configuration control
• Experience in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) development and integration
• Strong background in Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
• Experience transitioning development features into production block upgrades with structured release management
• Familiarity with MATLAB/Simulink-based architectures, including model validation and code generation workflows
• Experience with VxWorks-based embedded systems and real-time software integration