{"id":4217728,"url":"https://alion.io/job/zone-5-technologies-flight-test-engineering-manager","title":"Flight Test Engineering Manager","company":{"id":684780,"name":"Zone 5 Technologies","domain":"zone5technologies.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/zone5technologies","size_band":"51-200","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Greenhouse","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":94,"open_postings":32,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.031,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":114,"computed_at":"2026-11-12T10:38:37Z"}},"role":"Leadership","role_family":"Leadership","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Luis Obispo, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":178000,"max":197000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":197000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-13T00:38:37Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-13","last_verified_at":"2026-11-13T03:23:26Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"At Zone 5 Technologies, we're redefining what's possible in precision weapons and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Our team of engineers and innovators are developing cutting-edge autonomous solutions to deliver affordable and scalable precision weapons, interceptors, and UAS.\nWe're building the next generation of munitions and unmanned systems for the United States and its allies. If you're driven by hard problems, energized by rapid innovation, and ready to make an impact on defense technology, you belong here.\nPosition Summary \nAs a Test Engineering Manager, you will lead one of the engineering teams within Zone 5's Test & Evaluation organization - which spans flight testing, test operations, and environmental testing - while partnering with T&E leadership and peer managers to grow the discipline's shared methods, tools, and standards. You will be a working manager: accountable for your team's execution against its commitments, and expected to contribute independently at the test engineering level when that is what it takes to get the job done. Your team plans and executes the testing that verifies our air vehicles and their subsystems - from lab and environmental campaigns through integrated ground test and flight test - and your role is to ensure that work is delivered safely, rigorously, and consistently, and that your engineers are developed, supported, and well matched to the programs they serve. \nResponsibilities \nManage and grow a team of test engineers, fostering collaboration, technical rigor, and a strong safety culture. \nBe accountable for your team's execution - the test commitments it makes to programs and concept development efforts - and contribute independently as a test engineer where needed to deliver. \nEnsure the correct and consistent application of test methodologies, processes, tools, and standards within your team, and contribute to their continued development across the discipline. \nEnsure your engineers are trained, equipped, and supported to do high-quality work, and be accountable for the quality of your team's test planning, execution, data, and documentation. \nStaff and balance your engineers across concept development efforts and program teams based on skills, availability, and development needs, in coordination with T&E leadership and peer managers. \nGuide the team in developing test plans, procedures, safety documentation, and reports, and in executing lab, environmental, ground, and flight test campaigns. \nOversee test readiness - instrumentation, telemetry and data acquisition, range and facility coordination, and hazard analysis - so campaigns enter execution prepared. \nRepresent the test discipline at design and test readiness reviews, ensuring designs are testable and verification evidence is credible. \nCapture lessons learned from completed test campaigns and help fold them back into discipline processes, standards, and training. \nDrive innovative approaches to test methods, automation, and infrastructure that increase test tempo without sacrificing rigor. \nAbility to travel approximately 25% (roughly equivalentto one week a month), with expectation to be flexible to test schedule(s) \nRequired Qualifications \nBachelor's degree in an engineering discipline or related technical field. \nDemonstrated experience leading test engineers or test teams, with responsibility for their development and the quality of their work. \nHands-on experience planning and executing test campaigns for aerospace or defense systems - flight test, environmental test, and/or integrated ground test. \nExperience authoring test plans, procedures, hazard analyses, and test reports, and reviewing others' work for rigor and completeness. \nWorking knowledge of instrumentation, telemetry, and data acquisition systems and of test data reduction and analysis. \nStrong leadership and communication skills, with the ability to coordinate across engineering, manufacturing, and program teams. \nMust be a U.S. Person as defined by ITAR (U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident). \nPreferred Qualifications \nFlight test experience with UAS, munitions, or other air-launched systems, including range operations, airspace and frequency coordination, and flight clearances. \nFamiliarity with range safety practices (e.g., RCC standards). \nExperience standing up or scaling test infrastructure, automation, or data pipelines. \nActive DoD security clearance, or the ability to obtain one. \nManager III: $178,000 - $197,000/yr. \nManager IV: $197,000 - $226,000/yr. \nPay range for this role\n$178,000—$227,000 USD\nWhat's in it for you:\nBenefits: \nCompetitive total compensation package \nComprehensive benefit package options include medical, dental, vision, life, and more.\n401k with company-match \n3 weeks of paid time off each year\n40 hours of sick time\n12 annual company holidays\nWhy Join Zone 5 Technologies?\nInnovative Environment: Work on cutting-edge technology that is shaping the future of defense and aerospace.\nCollaborative Culture: Join a team of passionate professionals dedicated to pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.\nCareer Growth: Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.\nIf you are passionate about unmanned aircraft technology and want to be a part of a dynamic and growing company, we would love to hear from you. Apply today and join the Zone 5 Technologies team! \nIn compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire. \nZone 5 Technologies is a federal contractor and participates in E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. As required by law, we will verify the identity and employment authorization of all new employees using the E-Verify system. Learn more about your rights and responsibilities under E-Verify: https://www.e-verify.gov.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5918,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":true,"languages":[]},"benefits":["401k plan","Professional development"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Drones & UAVs","Defense Manufacturing"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-13T03:23:26Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":105,"reasons":["conf:2","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-11-13T05:52:27Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":197000,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/zone-5-technologies-flight-test-engineering-manager","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/zone-5-technologies-flight-test-engineering-manager.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-13T05:52:27Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":12376,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-14T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":684780},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=684780"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fzone-5-technologies-flight-test-engineering-manager"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"free","price":{"credits":0,"usd":0},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fzone-5-technologies-flight-test-engineering-manager"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fzone-5-technologies-flight-test-engineering-manager"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/zone-5-technologies-flight-test-engineering-manager\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fzone-5-technologies-flight-test-engineering-manager"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":4217728}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"zone5technologies.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":4217728},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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