About This Role
Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC), a division of Textron Systems and the world's largest outsourced civilian tactical airborne training and adversary-services provider, is hiring an R&D Tactical Air Fighter Pilot (internally titled Research & Development Manager, Tactical Aircraft) based at Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Center, California. Reporting to the Director of Research & Development, the role leads research and evaluation of existing fighter and attack aircraft that can be cost-effectively integrated into ATAC's adversary fleet, supports program managers on fleet upgrades, and contributes to proposals for current and future U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Contracted Air Services requirements. The position pairs aircraft-systems engineering and acquisition work with active fighter-pilot currency: candidates must be previously qualified DoD-trained fighter pilots who still fly and who hold an FAA Commercial certificate and a First Class medical. It is a full-time, onsite, experienced individual-contributor role requiring roughly 25% travel and a U.S. government security clearance.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Research existing fighter aircraft that can be cost-effectively integrated into ATAC's fleet to develop winning technical solutions for future proposals
- assist with drafting Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to industry or foreign governments to obtain firm pricing and schedules for potential future aircraft
- support the Director of R&D in evaluating potential aircraft acquisitions or modernization upgrades that satisfy current and future U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Contracted Air Services (CAS) requirements
- assist the R&D Senior Manager of Tactical Mission Systems with integrating electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) sensors, electronic warfare (EW) equipment, active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars and helmet-mounted cueing systems (HMCS) onto ATAC aircraft
- assist the R&D Chief Engineer with developing and managing systems-level requirements for aircraft avionics, sensors and systems suitable for effective subcontracting
- support the Capture Manager with proposal development including strategy, advocating technical solutions, writing content and editing others' work
- and assist aircraft Program Managers with requirements derivation, management, verification and validation and with Test & Evaluation planning and execution.
What We Offer
Textron offers competitive base pay plus benefit programs that may include health and prescription coverage, dental insurance, vision insurance, family-building benefits, mental health resources, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance, and paid time away from work.Textron Systems additionally highlights flexible work schedules, education assistance, career development and training opportunities, a wellness program with fitness reimbursement, medical/dental/vision and 401(k) with company funding, and paid parental leave.
Requirements
- a Bachelor's degree in a relevant engineering field
- Test Pilot School graduate
- 8+ years of industry and government experience in fighter aircraft mission and radar systems integration, test and evaluation
- former military service
- an active Top Secret clearance
- the ability to attain and maintain Special Access Program clearance
- and Defense Acquisition University coursework in Test & Evaluation, Systems Engineering, Logistics, Acquisition, Risk Management and/or Intellectual Property & Data Rights. A Master's degree in engineering or a business-related field is desired. Minimum pilot qualifications (all required): previously qualified DoD-trained fighter pilot
- previously qualified 4-ship/division flight lead
- 700 hours pilot-in-command (PIC) of any fixed-wing DoD-owned/operated fighter aircraft
- 100 hours PIC at night
- 50 hours PIC logged in the past 12 months (any aircraft)
- 100 PIC hours logged in the previous 24 months (any aircraft)
- must have flown a tactical fighter aircraft within the previous 5 years
- current FAA First Class Medical Certificate
- FAA single-engine Commercial certificate with instrument privileges
- Secret security clearance
- and U.S. citizenship. Specific contract qualifications: 1,000 hours PIC of a military tactical aircraft and 500 hours PIC of any fixed-wing DoD-owned/operated fighter aircraft. Desired qualifications include USAF Weapons Instructor Course (WIC) graduate and USAF adversary qualification
- USNFWS/NAWDC/TOPGUN graduate
- Test Pilot School graduate
- DoD military Instructor Pilot qualification
- Mission Commander qualification
- military or civilian Flight Examiner qualification
- Functional Check Flight pilot qualification
- NVG Instructor and CRM Instructor
- FAA CFI(I) certificate
- familiarity with the DoD Commercial Air Services industry
- FAA Authorized Experimental Aircraft privileges
- DoD Safety School or Board President Course graduate
- squadron command experience
- and active fighter flying currency. Preferred technical experience includes operating 4th/5th-generation fighter aircraft with AESA radars and helmet-mounted cueing systems and testing handling qualities and systems integration of fighter aircraft.