DARC Test Engineer

Planning Visionary Operations Leadership Innovation Hypervisor Mathematics Testability Traceability Presentations PTC Windchill Design Reviews Microsoft Excel Problem Solving Sprint Planning Customer Service Microsoft Office Computer Science Software Systems Test Engineering Secret Clearance Agile Methodology Technical Writing Influencing Skills Systems Engineering Systems Integration System Requirements Integration Testing Network Engineering Functional Analysis Cluster Development Microsoft PowerPoint Microsoft SharePoint Atlassian Confluence Software Architecture Requirements Analysis Development Management Collaborative Software Requirements Management Engineering Design Process Agile Software Development Product Lifecycle Management Critical Design Review (CDR) Technical Performance Measure Continuous Improvement Process Milestones (Project Management) Model Based Systems Engineering Operational Performance Management, The DARC Test Engineer plays a key role in translating complex customer concepts and operational needs into clear, testable system requirements for a mission-critical radar and compute environment. In this role, you support the full systems engineering lifecyclefrom requirements development and functional analysis through integration, test, and verificationensuring that technically complex solutions operate reliably at operational scale. You collaborate with cross-functional teams and mission partners to solve challenging problems, influence critical technical decisions, and help transition capabilities rapidly from concept to deployment in support of national security. Responsibilities

• Support system requirements development, management, analysis, and traceability to translate customer requirements and concepts of operations into clear, actionable system and subsystem requirements.
• Perform functional analysis and systems trade studies to evaluate technical solutions across concept, design, fabrication, test, installation, operation, and maintenance phases.
• Assist in generating well-defined and executable system and subsystem requirements documents, interface control documents, and test and verification documentation.
• Support system and subsystem integration activities, including integration test planning, execution, and requirements verification and validation.
• Contribute to defining and tracking system technical performance measures to ensure solutions meet operational and performance objectives.
• Prepare and deliver system engineering materials and technical artifacts for key program reviews, including System Requirements Review, System Functional Review, Preliminary Design Review, Critical Design Review, System Verification Review, and Test Readiness Review.
• Interface with internal organizations and external stakeholders to provide technical briefings and communicate program status clearly and effectively.
• Apply test engineering practices to validate system performance against requirements and support site activation or compute-related activities as needed.
• Use requirements management tools and processes to maintain rigorous traceability from high-level customer needs down to detailed implementation-level requirements.
• Collaborate with cross-functional integrated product teams, including hardware, software, systems, and operations personnel, to drive alignment and resolve technical issues.
• Support Agile development activities, including participation in PI planning, sprint planning, and backlog refinement, to ensure systems engineering and test needs are addressed.
• Manage Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) deliverables from inception to completion, providing technical expertise, ensuring alignment with software architecture, and drafting high-quality deliverable documents.
• Organize and prioritize work independently while maintaining a strong customer focus and meeting program milestones and review deadlines.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of systems engineering, integration, and test processes to enhance efficiency, quality, and reliability.
• Travel minimally as required to support program reviews or integration and test activities at other locations.

• Active U.S. Government Secret security clearance at time of application, current and within scope.
• For Level 2 roles: At least 2 years of relevant experience with a Bachelors degree in a STEM field, or 0 years of experience with a Masters degree in a STEM field.
• For Principal roles: At least 5 years of relevant experience with a Bachelors degree in a STEM field, 3 years of experience with a Masters degree in a STEM field, or 1 year of experience with a PhD.
• Hands-on experience with requirements decomposition and requirements management, including traceability from customer needs to lower-level requirements.
• Experience working with cross-functional integrated product teams in a systems engineering or test environment.
• Experience working through the full Systems Engineering lifecycle process for system development, from concept and requirements through integration, test, and verification.
• Experience with integration and integration testing of complex hardware and radar or compute systems.
• Background in systems engineering and hardware integration in mission-critical or complex technical environments.
• Experience with Atlassian tool suite, including Jira and Confluence, for tracking requirements, tasks, and engineering artifacts.
• Experience with SharePoint for collaboration and document management.
• Expert-level proficiency with MS Office tools, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Project, to create technical documents, presentations, and schedules.
• Experience with Agile software development practices such as PI planning, two-week sprint cycles, and story pointing.
• Strong problem-solving skills and demonstrated ability to plan and execute projects effectively.
• Proven ability to independently plan, organize, and prioritize work while collaborating within cross-functional teams and maintaining a strong customer focus.
• Demonstrated ability to manage Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) delivery from inception through completion, including providing technical expertise, ensuring alignment with software architecture, and drafting deliverable documents based on a comprehensive understanding of the systems software architecture., * Bachelors, Masters, or PhD in a STEM discipline such as engineering, computer science, mathematics, or related field.
• Experience with technical writing for specifications, system requirements, and technical baseline documentation.
• Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) using tools such as Cameo.
• Familiarity with Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) tools such as Siemens, Windchill, or Teamcenter.
• Familiarity with scaled compute cluster development, hypervisors, and network engineering concepts.
• Familiarity with radar systems and operations, including integration and site activation activities.
• Familiarity with radar Blake Charts for operational performance analysis and assessment.
• Background in validation, requirements analysis, requirements documentation, and test engineering in complex technical systems.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Interest in mission-driven work that supports national security and high-impact, real-world operations., Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

This role is based onsite Monday through Friday in a modern facility located near the Colorado Springs Airport in the COCO-1 building, with no work required on military bases. The environment centers on high-impact, technically complex radar and compute systems, where engineers collaborate closely to deliver operational capabilities at scale. You work with a range of engineering and collaboration tools, including Atlassian (Jira, Confluence), SharePoint, PLM platforms, MBSE tools, and the MS Office suite, within an Agile development framework featuring PI planning and sprint-based execution. The culture emphasizes meaningful mission impact, accelerated professional growth, and long-term program stability, providing opportunities to work with elite engineers and leaders, influence critical decisions, and see your work move quickly from concept to deployment. Minimal travel is expected, and attire is typically professional business casual suitable for an onsite engineering and technical program environment. Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Colorado Springs, CO. Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $110000.00 - $150000.00/hr.

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.