Systems Integration & 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

Pay range for this role

$175,000—$200,000 USD