Lab Technician - Digital RF Test Lab

Lab Technician - Digital RF Test Lab
CLEARANCE TYPE: Secret, must be a US Citizen
WORK SHIFT: 1st Shift (9/80A)

Description
Looking for a skilled Field Technician 3 to support our customer's EA-18G Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL) at PT. Mugu, CA. This includes planning, evaluation, operation, repair, maintenance, upgrade and documentation of laboratory system hardware, software, operating systems and firmware in support of software and product development. Laboratory environments include software development laboratories, engineering benches, integration and test benches, workstations, system emulation laboratories, avionics emulations and simulations, and threat environment simulators. The successful candidate will have a background in the operation and maintenance of RADAR, or Electronic Warfare (EW) systems, or commercial digital and RF equipment, or other electronics background, and will have experience testing, troubleshooting, and performing repairs with minimal supervision. Knowledge in the proper usage of RF/Digital test equipment such as a multi-meter, oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, and power meter is desired. This position will serve on-site at our customer's EA-18G Systems Integration Laboratory (SIL) at PT. Mugu, CA.

Responsibilities:
• Planning, evaluating, operating, repairing, maintaining, upgrading and documenting laboratory system hardware, software, operating systems and firmware in support of software and product development.
• Perform a variety of maintenance and technical support on products such as equipment, integrated systems and subsystems, and software at customer and/or field locations.
• Troubleshoots and diagnoses malfunctions to eliminate problems in minimum time.
• Analyzes and evaluates products and related performance
• Installs and upgrades products, ensuring coordinative engineering field change.
• Maintains effective customer communications and relations.
• May provide onsite training of customer support personnel.

Basic Qualifications
Experience:
o 8-10+ years in avionics labs, depot-level maintenance, flight test environments, or systems integration
o Hands-on support for military aircraft systems (e.g., EA-18G, F/A-18, F-35, B-2, UAVs, or rotary-wing platforms)
o Prior experience in developmental test environments, including system validation or integration testing
o Familiarity with standard lab tools such as oscilloscopes, multimeters, and signal generators
o Experience supporting systems integration labs (SILs), avionics racks, or hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing environments
o Knowledge of avionics protocol monitoring and injection (e.g., using Flight Simulators, Avionics Bus Test Units, or Lab Simulators)

Advanced Technical Skills:
o Ability to read and interpret electronic schematics, wiring diagrams, and technical manuals
o Able to follow detailed test procedures and document test data or discrepancies accurately
o Proficient in soldering and rework (surface mount and through-hole components)
o Solid understanding of RF, analog, and digital circuit behavior
o Skilled in troubleshooting point-to-point wiring and aircraft harness assemblies
o Experience with continuity testing, insulation resistance testing, and pin-to-pin verification
o Proficient in isolating and repairing faults at the component and system level on complex avionics equipment
o Skilled in interpreting technical data packages, including interface control documents (ICDs), test procedures, and wire routing diagrams
o Familiarity with advanced RF testing: impedance matching, signal path loss, VSWR, antenna performance
o Working knowledge of fiber optic systems, termination, inspection, and loss testing
o Ability to interface with engineering teams to provide feedback during system validation and test development

Lab & System Expertise:
o Deep knowledge of airborne systems such as radar, electronic warfare (EW), comm/nav/ident, and flight control computers
o Extensive use of avionics test sets, avionics data loaders, mission planning systems, and/or reprogramming tools
o Use of bus analysis tools for MIL-STD-1553 and/or Ethernet avionics buses
o Ability to fabricate and troubleshoot test harnesses and breakout cables to custom specs
o Comfortable working in fast-paced prototype labs and supporting engineering changes or rapid reconfiguration of test setups

Tools/Software:
o Skilled in the use of test equipment (e.g., spectrum analyzers, logic analyzers, function generators, DC power supplies)
o Basic computer skills for data entry and reporting (e.g., Excel, Word, electronic maintenance logs)
o Use of handheld avionics tools (e.g., crimpers, pin insertion/extraction tools, torque wrenches)

Other Requirements:
o Current U.S. Secret clearance
o Strong written and verbal communication skills
o Knowledge of ESD handling procedures and general lab safety protocols