Worker Type

Job Description

 

Next Generation Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) Missile Program
Location: Huntsville, Alabama
Work Arrangement: Primarily on-site, with travel to integration and flight-test locations
Clearance: Active Secret security clearance required
Citizenship: U.S. citizenship required
Position Overview
We are seeking an experienced Systems Integration, Test & Data Analysis Engineer to support the development, integration, testing, and fielding of a next-generation C-UAS missile system.
This position will serve as a key technical contributor across missile integration, command-and-control interfaces, sensor connectivity, test execution, and system-performance analysis. The successful candidate will analyze data from interceptors, command-and-control systems, radars, electronic-warfare systems, cameras, and supporting test instrumentation to evaluate end-to-end system behavior and identify deficiencies.
The engineer will support laboratory integration, system-of-systems testing, live flight tests, and operational-event analysis. This role requires someone who can rapidly process large and diverse datasets, develop reusable software tools, evaluate interface compliance, and provide actionable recommendations to engineers, program leadership, customers, and test personnel.
Key Responsibilities
·    Support the integration and evaluation of a next-generation C-UAS missile within a broader system-of-systems architecture.
·    Analyze end-to-end performance across interceptors, command-and-control systems, radars, tracking systems, cameras, electronic-warfare systems, launch platforms, and external interfaces.
·    Support laboratory, ground, integration, flight, and live-fire testing at government and contractor facilities.
·    Travel to test ranges and operational locations to support test setup, execution, troubleshooting, and post-test analysis.
·    Provide real-time technical analysis during integration and live test events, allowing the team to identify problems and recommend corrective actions quickly.
·    Collect, correlate, and analyze missile telemetry, radar tracks, command-and-control messages, network captures, sensor data, operator actions, and test-event records.
·    Develop Python-based tools for parsing, organizing, processing, correlating, visualizing, and reporting large datasets.
·    Create reusable analysis tools that improve the speed, consistency, and accuracy of engineering investigations.
·    Perform forensic analysis of flight-test, integration-test, and operational system data to determine event timelines, system behavior, failure causes, and performance limitations.
·    Analyze TCP/UDP network traffic and packet captures using Wireshark and related tools.
·    Evaluate message traffic and system behavior for compliance with Interface Control Documents, message standards, timing requirements, and expected interface behavior.
·    Identify data-quality issues, timing discrepancies, dropped messages, incorrect message content, communication failures, and other integration deficiencies.
·    Develop clear visualizations that allow engineers, operators, customers, and program leaders to understand complex test events and system behavior.
·    Support root-cause investigations involving missile, command-and-control, radar, communications, software, network, and sensor interfaces.
·    Document technical findings in test reports, engineering analyses, presentations, deficiency reports, and recommended corrective actions.
·    Coordinate with missile developers, government engineering teams, software developers, systems engineers, test organizations, range personnel, and external suppliers.
·    Support system requirements development, verification planning, test-readiness reviews, data-management planning, and test-result adjudication.
·    Train and mentor engineers, analysts, and interns on C-UAS systems, data-analysis methods, test processes, and internally developed software tools.
Required Qualifications
·    Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, computer engineering, systems engineering, computer science, mathematics, or a related technical field.
·    Minimum of 7 years of relevant engineering experience in C-UAS, missile defense, air defense, weapons integration, flight testing, or a comparable complex defense-system environment.
·    Experience supporting system integration, engineering testing, flight testing, or live-fire test events.
·    Demonstrated experience analyzing data from multiple connected systems, such as interceptors, command-and-control systems, radars, sensors, networks, or test instrumentation.
·    Strong Python programming skills, including experience with data parsing, data processing, analysis, automation, and visualization.
·    Experience working with large, time-correlated datasets from multiple sources.
·    Experience developing reusable engineering-analysis or data-processing tools.
·    Experience analyzing network traffic, message exchanges, or distributed-system interfaces.
·    Ability to interpret Interface Control Documents and evaluate interface compliance.
·    Ability to provide timely technical recommendations during active integration and test events.
·    Strong technical writing, briefing, and interpersonal communication skills.
·    Ability to work effectively with multidisciplinary government and industry teams.
·    Willingness to travel periodically to test ranges, integration facilities, suppliers, and customer locations.
·    Active Secret security clearance.
·    U.S. citizenship.
Preferred Qualifications
·    Direct experience supporting counter-unmanned aircraft systems.
·    Experience supporting missile, interceptor, air-defense, or integrated fires programs.
·    Familiarity with C-UAS interceptors such as Coyote, NGCM, DroneHunter, Roadrunner, or comparable kinetic and non-kinetic effectors.
·    Experience with command-and-control systems such as FAAD C2, IBCS-M, or similar air-defense battle-management systems.
·    Experience analyzing data from radars such as KuRFS, Q-53, Sentinel, or comparable surveillance and fire-control sensors.
·    Experience supporting government developmental testing, operational testing, or testing at Yuma Proving Ground and other Department of Defense ranges.
·    Experience conducting forensic analysis of operational defense-system events.
·    Familiarity with radar tracks, track correlation, engagement timelines, weapons-control messaging, and interceptor handover processes.
·    Experience performing time synchronization and sequence-of-events analysis across multiple systems.
·    Experience with requirements verification, test planning, test-readiness reviews, discrepancy reporting, and corrective-action closure.
·    Experience working in a Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance environment.
·    Knowledge of missile flight dynamics, guidance and control, aerodynamics, or engagement analysis.
·    Familiarity with C, C++, MATLAB, Mathcad, Bash, Ada, or FORTRAN.
·    Experience with Linux environments, including Ubuntu or Windows Subsystem for Linux.
·    Experience using Git, Subversion, or other version-control systems.
·    Experience leading small technical teams or coordinating multidisciplinary analysis efforts.
Technical Skills of Interest
·    Python
·    Pandas, NumPy, Matplotlib and SciPy
·    Large-dataset parsing and processing
·    Data visualization and automated reporting
·    Missile and interceptor data analysis
·    Command-and-control system integration
·    Radar and sensor data analysis
·    Interface Control Document compliance
·    TCP/UDP network analysis
·    Wireshark and packet-capture analysis
·    Time synchronization and event reconstruction
·    Flight-test and live-fire test support
·    Root-cause and forensic analysis
·    Windows and Linux environments
·    Git and Subversion
·    MATLAB, C and C++
·    Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Word
Candidate Profile
The ideal candidate combines practical C-UAS system knowledge with strong software-development and data-analysis skills. This person can enter a complex integration or flight-test environment, understand how the participating systems are expected to interact, determine what actually occurred, and clearly explain the difference.
The successful candidate will be comfortable working at the point where missile performance, command-and-control behavior, radar data, message traffic, networks, test operations, and systems engineering come together. They will develop tools that improve the entire team's effectiveness and provide the rapid, evidence-based analysis needed to mature and field the Next Generation C-UAS Missile System.

Clearance Level

 

The salary range for this role is:

AeroVironment considers several factors when extending an offer, including but not limited to, the location, the role and associated responsibilities, a candidate’s work experience, education/training, and key skills.

ITAR Requirement:

This position requires access to information that is subject to compliance with the International Traffic Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) and/or the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”). In order to comply with the requirements of the ITAR and/or the EAR, applicants must qualify as a U.S. person under the ITAR and the EAR, or a person to be approved for an export license by the governing agency whose technology comes under its jurisdiction. Please understand that any job offer that requires approval of an export license will be conditional on AeroVironment’s determination that it will be able to obtain an export license in a time frame consistent with AeroVironment’s business requirements. A “U.S. person” according to the ITAR definition is a U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or protected individual such as a refugee or asylee. See 22 CFR § 120.15. Some positions will require current U.S. Citizenship due to contract requirements.

Benefits:  AV offers an excellent benefits package including medical, dental vision, 401K with company matching, a 9/80 work schedule and a paid holiday shutdown.  For more information about our company benefit offerings please visit:  http://www.avinc.com/myavbenefits.

We also encourage you to review our company website at http://www.avinc.com to learn more about us.

Principals only need apply.  NO agencies please.

About AV:

AV isn’t for everyone. We hire the curious, the relentless, the mission-obsessed. The best of the best.

We don’t just build defense technology—we redefine what’s possible. As the premier autonomous systems company in the U.S., AV delivers breakthrough capabilities across air, land, sea, space, and cyber. From AI-powered drones and loitering munitions to integrated autonomy and space resilience, our technologies shape the future of warfare and protect those who serve.

Founded by legendary innovator Dr. Paul MacCready, AV has spent over 50 years pushing the boundaries of what unmanned systems can do. Our heritage includes seven platforms in the Smithsonian—but we’re not building history, we’re building what’s next.

If you're ready to build technology that matters—with speed, scale, and purpose—there’s no better place to do it than AV.

We are proud to be an EEO/AA Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability/veterans. AeroVironment, Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer and welcomes all qualified applicants. Qualified applicants will receive fair and impartial consideration without regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected veteran status, genetic data, sexual orientation, gender identity or other legally protected status.

ITAR