Environments Lab Manager

GENERAL JOB SUMMARY:

The Environments Lab Manager would lead a team responsible for shock, vibration, and environmental durability testing across a range of hypersonic components and flight systems. This role oversees test strategy, operations, personnel development, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure products meet rigorous performance for acceptance or qualification. The manager combines technical expertise with strong leadership to drive reliability, efficiency, and continuous improvement within the test organization.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

Leadership & Team Management

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of environmental test engineers and technicians.
• Set priorities, allocate resources, and manage workload across multiple concurrent test programs.
• Foster a culture of safety, technical excellence, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct performance reviews, support career development, and guide hiring decisions.

Technical Oversight

• Define test strategies, methodologies, and best practices for shock, vibration, and environmental qualification.
• Review and approve test plans, setups, instrumentation strategies, and data analysis approaches.
• Provide technical guidance on interpreting applicable standards.
• Support root-cause investigations and reliability improvement initiatives.

Operations & Program Execution

• Oversee daily operation of test facilities.
• Ensure equipment calibration, maintenance, and readiness.
• Manage lab scheduling, capacity planning, and resource optimization.
• Ensure compliance with safety protocols and regulatory requirements.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with design, integration, manufacturing, and program management teams to define test requirements and timelines.
• Communicate test results, risks, and recommendations to engineering leadership and stakeholders.
• Support customer interactions, audits, and technical reviews.

Strategic & Continuous Improvement

• Identify opportunities to enhance test capability, throughput, and data quality.
• Drive investments in new equipment, software, and process automation.
• Develop and maintain documentation, procedures, and training materials.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

Yes.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES REQUIRED:

• Significant hands-on experience with shock, vibration, and environmental testing.
• Strong understanding of structural dynamics, vibration theory, and signal processing.
• Demonstrated leadership experience (formal or informal) in an engineering or lab environment.
• Proficiency with data acquisition and analysis tools.
• Excellent communication, organizational, and decision-making skills.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Bachelors degree from an accredited college in a technical discipline
• 10+ years of experience in flight vehicle environment testing