Senior Prototype and Qual Test Engineer

Amca is building airplanes for the 21st century, starting by designing new hardware that flies on today’s planes. Aviation was once humanity’s boldest ambition, but the industry hasn’t successfully built a new plane in 40 years. We don’t think it has to be this way.

Across much of aerospace, test infrastructure is fragmented and constrained by legacy equipment and processes, pushing qualification downstream and limiting its impact on product design. At Amca, we’re fixing that by bringing design, build, test, and qualification under one roof.

This role builds and owns the Prototype and Qualification Lab and defines how new products are tested and qualified from first principles. As a Senior Prototype and Qualification Lab Engineer, you’ll lead functional and environmental testing, stand up test infrastructure, and work directly with design and manufacturing to shape product decisions early. This is a hands‑on, high‑ownership role for someone who wants to build test the right way.

• Own functional, environmental, and qualification testing for new product programs from early prototype through qualification.

• Define and execute test strategies, plans, and procedures aligned with end‑use requirements, certification needs, and program risk.

• Build, commission, and operate the Prototype and Qualification Lab, including selection and ownership of environmental test equipment.

• Design and develop in‑house test fixtures and setups to support functional and environmental testing across avionics, electromechanical, and power electronics products.

• Work closely with design and manufacturing engineers to provide early feedback and influence product design for testability and qualification success.

• Provide technical guidance and mentorship as the test function scales.

• Working knowledge of relevant aerospace and defense test standards, including:

  • DO-160
  • MIL-STD-810
  • MIL-STD-202
  • MIL-STD-461
  • MIL-STD-464
  • MIL-STD-704

• Strong foundation in test engineering with hands‑on experience in functional and environmental testing for aerospace or defense hardware.

• Ability to apply first‑principles engineering to understand, challenge, and simplify test and qualification requirements.

• Hands‑on engineer comfortable building test setups, troubleshooting hardware, and working directly with physical systems in a lab environment.

• Experience collaborating with design and manufacturing engineers, with an understanding of how design and process decisions affect test and qualification outcomes.

• Experience supporting Functional Testing (ATP) and Qualification Testing efforts, including environmental, shock and vibration, and EMC testing, for avionics, electronics, electromechanical, or power electronics systems.

• Working familiarity with CAD, PDM, GD&T, and Materials & Processing fundamentals relevant to test and qualification.

• Comfortable operating with high ownership within a collaborative, cross‑functional team.

• Experience standing up or significantly evolving a test or qualification lab, including equipment selection, procedures, and workflows.

• Familiarity with quality systems and lab accreditation environments such as AS9100 and ISO 17025.

• Strong troubleshooting and root cause analysis skills.

• Clear, structured communicator with experience planning qualification programs, producing defensible test reports, and mentoring engineers.

• Comfort operating in a tightly integrated design, build, and test environment.

This position requires the use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a US person as: any individual who is granted U.S. citizenship; or any individual who is granted U.S. permanent residence ("Green Card" holder); or any individual who is granted status as a "protected person" under 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3).

The Advanced Manufacturing Company of America prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.