GENERAL JOB SUMMARY:

This position serves as a technical team lead and developing subject matter expert within the Hypersonic Structures department at Kratos SRE, one of the nation's leading organizations in the evaluation of thermal protection systems and refractory materials for ballistic and hypersonic applications. The department maintains a broad research and testing portfolio, sponsored by the Department of Defense, NASA, and industry partners, and operates and fields testing at high-enthalpy convective facilities including arc jets, inductively coupled plasma torches, hypervelocity impact ranges, and radiant heating systems.

The Test Execution Leads within the department are responsible for the full lifecycle of the various aerothermal tests performed within the department: defining test requirements and specimen configurations, leading on-site test execution at national facilities, performing advanced post-test analysis and material performance characterization, and delivering publication-quality technical reporting to sponsors. This role requires technical maturity. Applicants are expected to become recognized experts in one or more disciplines central to the department's mission, to exercise independent judgment during high-consequence test events, and to represent the organization in external technical forums, working groups, and conferences. The position also carries significant organizational responsibility, including the leadership and development of a small team of junior engineers, interoperability with other execution groups, direct engagement with sponsors as a primary technical point of contact, active contribution to business development and proposal capture, and meaningful participation in department-level strategic planning and operational decision-making. Candidates with substantial coursework or professional experience in aerothermodynamics, high-enthalpy ground testing, reacting or compressible gas dynamics, or development of thermal protection systems are strongly encouraged to apply. An active DoD SECRET security clearance is a plus.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Team Leadership & Talent Development - Lead, mentor, and technically supervise a team of 2-4 engineers; conduct performance evaluations, define career development plans, and build team capabilities aligned with departmental strategic needs
• Test Campaign Ownership - Plan, resource, and execute full-lifecycle test campaigns from sponsor requirements definition through post-test deliverable submission across concurrent programs in internal and external high-enthalpy facilities. Manage labor budgets associated with testing alongside the department director.
• Test Preparation & Engineering Design - Lead or perform pre-test engineering activities including specimen design, multiphysics  analysis, instrumentation strategy, test matrix development, and facility coordination, often in coordination with other functional groups in the department.
• On-Site Test Execution Leadership - Serve as the primary engineer during on-site test events at national aerothermal facilities; exercise real-time technical authority over test conduct, safety, and data quality decisions
• Post-Test Evaluation & Technical Analysis - Lead or perform post-test data reduction, advanced material performance characterization, comparative analysis, and development of actionable recommendations for sponsors; apply and advance state-of-the-art analysis techniques (e.g., photogrammetry, advanced calorimetry, multiphysics simulation)
• Sponsor & Stakeholder Management - Serve as primary technical point of contact for a subset of the department’s sponsor base; lead program reviews, technical interchange meetings, and proposal efforts to sustain and grow the sponsor portfolio
• Cross-Team Interoperability & Department Leadership - Operate as an equal peer with other team leads; manage cross-team resourcing and personnel development; participate in department-level strategic planning, process development, capability gap assessment, and internal research planning
• Subject Matter Authority - Serve as a subject matter expert in one or more core departmental disciplines (e.g., arc jet test methodology, TPS material response, refractory material evaluation, advanced instrumentation techniques); represent the department and company externally at conferences, technical working groups, and inter-organizational forums; Author and present technical papers at relevant conferences and in peer-reviewed journals; contribute to the department's reputation as a national center of excellence in aerothermal ground testing
• Business Development & Capture - Support new business identification, white paper development, technical proposal writing, and cost estimation for new and follow-on programs 

Other Job Functions

• Contribute to corporate-level engineering standards, best practices, and process documentation
• Independently identify systemic technical risks across programs and develop mitigation strategies
• Evaluate emerging technologies and methodologies for potential adoption within the department
• Support recruitment efforts including technical candidate screening and interviewing
• Perform other duties and assist other employees, as assigned

SUPERVISORYRESPONSIBILITY:

This position may be responsible for a small team (2-4) of engineers.