Liaison Engineer

Are you a hands-on engineer who thrives in the dynamic environment of a flight line rather than behind a cubicle wall? Do you enjoy real-time problem-solving and seeing the immediate impact of your decisions?

We are seeking a Liaison Engineer to support the Fury program, our cutting-edge autonomous aircraft. Based at the Victorville Test Site, you will serve as the on-site technical bridge between flight test operations, maintenance personnel, and design engineering. Your primary mission is to provide rapid, hands-on engineering resolution to unexpected technical issues, defects, or non-conformances that arise during ground and flight testing — keeping aircraft airworthy and on schedule without compromising safety or configuration integrity.

On-Site Engineering Support

• Serve as the primary engineering point of contact for the maintenance crew during ground and flight test operations.
• Interpret blueprints, 3D CAD models, engineering drawings, wiring diagrams, and technical manuals to resolve discrepancies in real time.

Nonconformance & MRB Disposition

• Evaluate defects and nonconformances found during inspection, maintenance, or test; issue engineering dispositions (use-as-is, repair, rework) within delegated authority.
• Participate in Material Review Board (MRB) discussions, assess structural/systems integrity impact, and drive the safest path to return-to-service.
• Support root cause and corrective action (RCCA) investigations for recurring or high-impact nonconformances, feeding findings back to design engineering to prevent repeat occurrences.

Flight Line Modification & Repair Authority

• Create, authorize, and oversee redline drawing changes or field modifications needed to install test instrumentation or correct design errors in real time.
• Draft clear, step-by-step technical repair instructions, including minor structural/electrical analysis, for mechanics to execute — escalating to Design Engineering/Stress when a fix exceeds delegated authority or affects form/fit/function.
• Take ownership of hardware availability for active repairs; drive demand signals to supply chain to prevent schedule slip.

Airworthiness & Compliance

• Ensure all temporary repairs, modifications, and deviations comply with FAA regulations (including experimental airworthiness requirements), company engineering standards, and quality system requirements.
• Operate within, and help mature, the program's quality management system (e.g., AS9100-aligned processes) as it applies to liaison dispositions.

Configuration Management

• Document every temporary redline, repair, and non-conformance so the aircraft's as-built configuration is accurately tracked, recorded, and updated across its lifetime in the program's PLM/MES/ERP systems.
• Maintain traceability from disposition through installed hardware to support future maintenance, safety investigations, and fleet-wide trend analysis.

Cross-Functional Interface

• Facilitate two-way communication between flight line mechanics and remote design engineering teams, ensuring design engineers understand real-world hangar-floor constraints and mechanics understand design intent.
• Flag systemic issues (recurring failure modes, tooling gaps, tech data errors) to program leadership and design engineering with data to support prioritization.

A Day in the Life

• Hangar & Flight Line Walkthroughs: Start the day on the floor — physically inspecting aircraft, examining damaged components, and discussing flight-prep issues directly with technicians.
• MRB Collaboration: Participate in MRB to evaluate defects, assess structural/systems integrity, and determine the safest path forward.
• Authoring Repairs: Draft clear repair instructions and minor structural/electrical analyses for mechanics to execute.
• Configuration Tracking: Document redlines, repairs, and non-conformances so the aircraft's as-built configuration stays accurate throughout its life.
• Closing the Loop: Feed field findings back into design engineering and, where patterns emerge, into RCCA and tech data corrections — so the same issue doesn't recur across the fleet.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or a related Engineering discipline.
• Experience: 3+ years in aviation maintenance support, flight test support, or liaison/MRB engineering.
• Technical Skills:
• Ability to read, interpret, and redline complex engineering drawings, blueprints, and electrical schematics; working knowledge of GD&T.
• Familiarity with aircraft structures (composite and/or metallic) and systems (mechanical, electrical, or avionics).
• Experience using 3D CAD software (e.g., CATIA, NX, SolidWorks) to view and query models.
• Experience with PLM, ERP, and/or MES systems for configuration and nonconformance tracking.
• Soft Skills: Strong interpersonal and communication skills — able to work effectively with design engineers, shop-floor technicians, and leadership simultaneously.
• Mindset: Bias for action, sound judgment under pressure and ambiguity, and genuine enjoyment of hands-on troubleshooting. Able to juggle multiple concurrent issues without losing track of any of them.
• Clearance: U.S. Citizenship required; must be eligible to obtain and maintain a security clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior Material Review Board (MRB) delegation/authority.
• Experience supporting UAS / autonomous aircraft programs.
• Familiarity with flight test operations, test instrumentation/data acquisition, and flight line safety protocols.
• Working knowledge of FAA regulations and experimental airworthiness certification.
• Experience performing or reviewing minor structural repair analysis (stress/margin checks) for engineering dispositions.

Work Environment & Physical Demands

• 100% on-site at the Victorville Test Site.
• Comfortable working in a hangar environment and on active flight lines (noise, heat, high-desert weather exposure).
• Willing to support a dynamic schedule, including shifted hours or on-call coverage around test windows.
• Physically able to climb on, around, and inside aircraft to inspect components; comfortable working at height and in confined spaces with appropriate PPE.