Apply on Employer Site

FlightWave Aerospace - A Red Cat Company · 5 days ago

Reliability Test Engineering Manager (Drone Hardware)

Carson, CA

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level

$132K/yr - $176K/yr

5+ years exp

FlightWave Aerospace, a Red Cat Company, specializes in high-performance Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for various critical applications. They are seeking a Reliability Test Engineering Manager to lead the development and execution of reliability test plans for their drone platforms, ensuring optimal performance in challenging environments.

AerospaceData Collection and LabelingTransportation

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Hire, lead, and develop engineers responsible for HALT, environmental, structural, and other validation testing of FlightWave hardware products

Develop and execute system and component-level reliability and design verification test strategies for rugged, airborne electromechanical systems

Design and carry out environmental and mechanical stress tests including vibration, shock, thermal cycling, moisture/ingress, and fatigue testing

Create custom test fixtures, automation, and data acquisition systems as needed to enable robust, repeatable validation

Apply Design of Experiments (DOE), life data analysis, and other statistical techniques (e.g., capability analysis, regression, Weibull analysis) to extract insights and support engineering decisions

Partner with supplier quality and purchasing teams to support component qualification, test method validation, and vendor development efforts

Contribute to and review risk management deliverables (e.g., DFMEA/PFMEA) and propose test strategies that address top failure modes

Exercise a lead role in defining service, maintenance, and replacement schedules for hardware devices

Support root cause investigations and drive corrective actions through structured test and analysis methods

Qualification

Reliability engineeringMechanical test engineeringData acquisition systemsStatistical analysisLabVIEWPythonDesign of Experiments (DOE)UAS systems experienceOrganizational planningRisk managementEnvironmental test standardsTeam leadership

Required

B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace, Electrical, or a related discipline

Minimum 5-12 years of experience in reliability, product validation, or mechanical test engineering

2+ years of experience in a direct manager or team lead role

Hands-on experience designing and building custom test setups, data acquisition systems (image capture, vibration analysis, thermal measurement, EMC/EMI measurement, etc)

Experience with LabVIEW, python, and related test programming and automation tools

Hands-on experience developing and executing qualification test plans for complex electromechanical systems

Demonstrated ability to apply statistical analysis in the context of product testing and reliability evaluation

Strong organizational planning skills and enthusiasm to develop high-level validation strategy

Preferred

Familiarity with RF testing tools, processes, and analysis

Experience with lightweight aerostructures, vibrations, fatigue analysis, etc

Experience with UAS systems, robotics, autonomous vehicles, etc

Familiarity with industry-specific environmental test standards (MIL-STD-810, DO-160, etc.) and associated test methods

Benefits

Generous annual equity package

Potential bonuses

Company

FlightWave Aerospace - A Red Cat Company

FlightWave Aerospace is a division of Red Cat, focused on delivering extended short-range, endurance-optimized uncrewed aircraft for mission-critical operations.

Founded in 2014

Santa Monica, California, USA

51-200 employees