EMALS Lab Engineer

Job Description

Job Description

JOB SUMMARY

Specialty Systems, Inc. has an immediate opening for a Lab Engineer to support our Department of Defense customer at Joint Base MDL-Lakehurst. This position will support the development, testing, sustainment, and modernization of the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), and associated Software Support Activity (SSA) laboratory environments.

The Lab Engineer will work closely with the Lab Manager, software development teams, systems engineers, cybersecurity personnel, and test organizations to ensure laboratory systems remain technically accurate, operationally available, and capable of supporting developmental testing, fleet support, software integration, and future system enhancements.

The ideal candidate will possess a strong systems engineering background with experience in hardware/software integration, test system design, configuration management, and laboratory operations. This position requires the ability to develop new test capabilities, evaluate system changes, and ensure laboratory configurations accurately represent operational environments.

This position is located at Joint Base MDL-Lakehurst and supports mission-critical Navy systems used in carrier aviation operations. In this position, you will work one of our customer’s Compressed Work Schedules:

• Working four 9 hour days (M-Th) and an 8 hour day (F) for the first week of a cycle followed by four 9 hour days (M-Th) and being off on the second Friday for the second week of a cycle. This results in a 3 day weekend every other week!
• Working 10 hour days (M-Th) every week. This results in a 3-day weekend every week!

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, integrate, and maintain laboratory test stands, simulators, and specialized test equipment supporting EMALS, AAG, and SSA testing activities.
• Engineer laboratory configurations and test setups to support software development, hardware integration, system verification, fleet support, and prototyping efforts.
• Serve as the technical authority for laboratory Software Configuration Management (SCM) and Software Quality Assurance (SQA) processes, ensuring accuracy and integrity of all lab baselines.
• Evaluate proposed software baseline changes, engineering change proposals, and system updates to determine impacts to laboratory infrastructure, simulators, and test equipment.
• Define and implement modifications required to laboratory hardware, software, and test environments to support evolving system capabilities.
• Manage laboratory incident reporting, perform root cause analysis of equipment and test anomalies, and track corrective actions to closure.
• Maintain inventory, lifecycle status, configuration records, and technical documentation for all laboratory equipment, software, and engineering assets.
• Develop, maintain, and control laboratory engineering documentation, including system diagrams, network architectures, interface definitions, and equipment drawings.
• Maintain and coordinate schedules for laboratory equipment utilization supporting testing, prototyping, software development, and fleet support activities.
• Assist with the specification, evaluation, procurement, installation, and integration of laboratory equipment and engineering tools supporting R&D initiatives.
• Interface with System Administrators, ISSOs, and Cybersecurity personnel to ensure laboratory systems remain compliant with accreditation requirements and maintain Authorization to Operate (ATO) status.
• Participate in software development reviews, design reviews, technical interchange meetings, and test readiness activities to ensure laboratory capabilities support program objectives.

Qualification Requirements:

Education, Certifications and Years of Experience: 

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or related technical discipline.
• Equivalent work experience may be considered in lieu of degree requirements.
• Minimum 5 years of experience supporting complex integrated hardware and software systems.
• CompTIA Security+ certification (or the ability to obtain this certification within 6 months of hire) is required.
• Must have an active clearance at the Secret level with the ability to obtain a clear Single Scope Background Investigation. If no active clearance, must be able to obtain an interim secret level clearance within approximately 4 weeks of submittal of clearance application.

Technical: 

• Strong systems engineering and systems integration experience.
• Experience designing, developing, and maintaining laboratory test environments.
• Experience with hardware/software integration and troubleshooting.
• Knowledge of Configuration Management principles and baseline control processes.
• Experience with test equipment including oscilloscopes, data acquisition systems, network analyzers, digital and analog instrumentation, and simulation environments.
• Experience supporting software development, software testing, and system integration activities.
• Experience developing and maintaining engineering documentation and technical diagrams.
• Experience with requirements analysis, impact assessments, and engineering change implementation.
• Familiarity with cybersecurity compliance requirements and accreditation processes.
• Experience using Jira, Confluence, and SharePoint for engineering documentation, issue tracking, and project coordination.
• Knowledge of software configuration management tools and version control systems.

Security Clearance Notice:

• Applicants selected will be subject to a U.S. Government security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information. Due to the nature of work performed within our facilities, U.S. citizenship is required.

Specialty Systems, Inc. provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability status, genetic information, marital status, ancestry, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, and local laws and offers equal opportunity for VEVRAA Protected Veterans. Specialty Systems, Inc. will not discriminate against employees and job applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose compensation information.

Reasonable accommodation that does not cause an undue hardship on the company may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions, as long as that would not hinder or prevent performance of duties or be of a safety concern.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to reach with hands and arms. The employee is frequently required to sit, stand and walk. The employee may be required to move ten pounds and could occasionally lift or move up to twenty-five pounds.

Disclaimer: The listed duties are not intended to serve as a comprehensive list of all duties performed by all employees in this classification, only a representative summary of primary duties and responsibilities.