Test Equipment Design Engineer - Effectors

CHAOS Industries CHAOS Industries is redefining modern defense with a multi‑product portfolio that gives the ultimate advantage—domain dominance. The company’s products are powered by Coherent Distributed Networks (CDN™), empowering warfighters, commercial air operators, and border protection teams to act faster, adapt rapidly, and stay ahead of evolving threats. Founded in 2022, the company has raised a total of $1 billion in funding from leading investors, including 8VC, Accel, and Valor Equity Partners. Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, and London. Role Summary We are seeking a Special Test Equipment (STE) Designer responsible for the full lifecycle of interceptor test systems — from requirements analysis and qualification strategy through physical design, hardware build, and Low‑Rate Initial Production (LRIP) deployment. This position owns the realization of the interceptor test ecosystem across development benches, qualification fixtures, hardware‑in‑the‑loop (HIL) systems, and production acceptance stations. It is a design–build–deploy ownership role that ensures rigorous requirements verification while maintaining physical robustness, scalability, maintainability, and alignment with production rate targets. Responsibilities Test Requirements & Architecture Ownership Derive test equipment functional requirements from system and subsystem specifications. Establish traceability between interceptor requirements and test coverage. Define subassembly test strategies, qualification test configurations, production acceptance test philosophy, and fault‑injection and edge‑case coverage approaches. Develop interface control documents (ICDs) between product and test systems. Balance verification rigor with cycle time, cost, and rate considerations. Physical STE Design & Hardware Realization Design complete STE hardware systems, including mechanical fixtures, electrical interface panels, breakout harnesses, load simulators, signal conditioning hardware, test racks, and enclosures. Generate full technical data packages: schematics, wiring diagrams, harness drawings, mechanical CAD models, and assembly documentation. Select and integrate instrumentation (DAQ, power supplies, RF equipment, environmental interfaces). Design safe high‑voltage, high‑current, and energetics‑compatible test interfaces as required. Hands‑On Build & Integration Lead and directly support rack assembly, panel wiring, harness fabrication, fixture assembly, hardware bring‑up, and debug. Conduct bench‑level integration of hardware and automation software. Debug electrical, mechanical, and software integration issues. Validate signal integrity, power distribution, and system stability. Be present at the bench and on the floor during integration. Automated Test & Production Deployment Develop automated test software (e.g., LabVIEW, Python, C++). Architect production test stations optimized for throughput, repeatability, operator simplicity, and error‑proofing. Define takt‑aligned test cycle times in coordination with Industrial Engineering. Integrate STE into MES for data capture and traceability. Lead factory installation and commissioning of LRIP test stations. Drive rapid iteration and refinement during pilot and early production builds. Qualification & Environmental Test Support Design and build fixtures and instrumentation for vibration, thermal, shock, and EMI/EMC. Support qualification campaigns with robust data acquisition strategies. Lead root‑cause analysis of test anomalies. Update STE configurations as designs mature. STE Lifecycle & Rate Scaling Manage configuration control and revisions of test systems. Improve test cycle time and reliability as production scales. Establish maintenance, calibration, and sustainment strategies. Drive cost‑down efforts for production‑deployed test systems. Plan replication of test stations as rate increases. Minimum Requirements Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related discipline. 5+ years of experience designing and building custom test equipment for aerospace, defense, automotive, or high‑reliability electromechanical systems. Demonstrated experience translating product requirements into test system architecture. Hands‑on experience with electrical schematic design, wiring and panel integration, mechanical fixture design, data acquisition systems, and instrumentation integration. Experience debugging integrated electro‑mechanical systems. Familiarity with root‑cause methodologies and failure analysis. U.S. Citizenship required; ability to obtain and maintain DoD clearance. Preferred Requirements Experience with missile, UAV, or guided munition systems. Experience designing HIL systems for avionics or control systems. Experience deploying test stations into LRIP or production environments. Familiarity with NI hardware platforms, RF testing, actuator/servo testing, and PCBA‑level test. Experience integrating test systems with MES/PLM infrastructure. Experience in energetics or explosive‑safe environments. Benefits Health benefits: Medical, dental, and vision benefits 100% paid for by the company. Additional benefits: 401(k) (50% company match up to 6% of pay), FSA, HSA, life insurance, and more. Perks: Free daily lunch, ‘No meeting Fridays’, unlimited PTO, casual dress code. Compensation: Competitive base salaries, generous pre‑IPO stock option grants, relocation assistance, and (coming soon) annual bonuses. Team growth: 200 employees and counting across 5 global offices. Salary Range: $110,000 – $160,000 Equal Employment Opportunity CHAOS Industries is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. #J-18808-Ljbffr CHAOS Industries