Senior Flight Test Engineer

Fort Walton Beach, Florida, United States

Applied Intuition, Inc. is powering the future of physical AI. Founded in 2017 and now valued at $15 billion, the Silicon Valley company is creating the digital infrastructure needed to bring intelligence to every moving machine on the planet. Applied Intuition services the automotive, defense, trucking, construction, mining and agriculture industries in three core areas: tools and infrastructure, operating systems, and autonomy.

Eighteen of the top 20 global automakers, as well as the United States military and its allies, trust the company’s solutions to deliver physical intelligence. Applied Intuition is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, with offices in Washington, D.C.;
San Diego;
Ft. Walton Beach, Florida;
Ann Arbor, Michigan;
London;
Stuttgart;
Munich;
Stockholm;
Bangalore;
Seoul; and Tokyo. Learn more at

We are an in‑office company, and our expectation is that employees primarily work from their Applied Intuition office 5 days a week. However, we also recognize the importance of flexibility and trust our employees to manage their schedules responsibly. This may include occasional remote work, starting the day with morning meetings from home before heading to the office, or leaving earlier when needed to accommodate family commitments.

Applied Intuition is seeking a dynamic Flight Test Engineer to accelerate the validation and evaluation of autonomous aerial systems through high‑fidelity simulation and real‑world operation. You will collaborate with software developers, solution engineers, technical program managers, external partners, and customers to conduct full‑system development testing, ensuring our autonomy stacks bridge the gap between live, virtual, and constructive aircraft system capabilities. This is a high‑impact opportunity to define the testing infrastructure for the next generation of flight, ensuring rapid, safe deployment in an innovative environment.

• End‑to‑End Test Ownership:
  Lead the strategic development and execution of comprehensive test plans, operating with high autonomy to define the roadmap for validating complex flight systems.
• Mission‑Critical Execution:
  Direct ground and flight test operations at private and government ranges, managing everything from resource logistics to the safe, rigorous deployment of hardware and software.
• Data‑Driven
  
  Collaboration:
  
  Bridge the gap between the field and the lab by performing initial data analysis and providing engineering teams with the technical observations needed to iterate on autonomy stacks.
• Process Architecture:
  Design and refine standardized testing procedures and safety protocols to ensure rapid, reliable system evaluation in a fast‑paced development environment.

• High agency and the ability to directly influence test programs.
• Strong understanding of the U.S. Defense space and ability to navigate DOD organizations.
• Experience in acquisition, test, and evaluation of aviation products.
• An advanced (graduate) degree in a technical field related to aerospace.
• Completed training in NTPS, USAF TPS, Navy TPS, or equivalent.
• Ability to create and refine test objectives, and lead test plan working groups, test reviews, and safety reviews.
• Ability to author clear and concise test plans, test reports, communication plans, hazard analyses, quick look reports, checklists, and test cards.
• Experience communicating between technical experts and vehicle operators.
• Experience running test missions as a test conductor or test director.

• Must be willing to travel up to 50% of the time.
• This role can be based in one of the following locations:
  Washington, DC; or Fort Walton Beach, FL;
  San Diego, CA; or Ann Arbor, MI. Relocation offered.

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must have an active U.S. security clearance.

For more information about U.S. security clearances: .

• Prior military flight test experience.
• Prior sUAS autopilot operations, such as QGround
  
  Control, Pixhawk, and MAVLINK.
• Proven ability as a self‑starter that can adapt and define their role.
• FAA Part…