Flight Test Instrumentation & Data Engineer

The Flight Test Instrumentation & Data Engineer position is part of an organization that conducts full‑scale flight‑test programs for sophisticated aircraft. The team's purpose is to make sure that all data generated by onboard sensors and acquisition systems is captured, processed, and handed off to the engineering disciplines that rely on it, using a consistent and dependable workflow. On a daily basis the engineer will oversee the end‑to‑end data pipeline, starting with physical sensors and DAQ hardware and ending with telemetry links and long‑term storage. Responsibilities include keeping sensor configurations, calibration records and metadata up to date, working with hardware, software and integration groups to define sensor needs and bandwidth allocations, and diagnosing any signal noise, dropouts or scaling errors before they reach downstream databases. The role also requires extracting flight data from InfluxDB, building and maintaining local data structures for analysis and visualization, and optimizing access to large, high‑frequency datasets while limiting CPU and memory consumption. In addition, the engineer will design efficient local storage for processed data, support ongoing enhancements to the data architecture as sensor counts grow, maintain shared derived datasets, enforce strict timestamp synchronization, monitor data quality and completeness, provide rapid data previews for post‑flight reviews, enable detailed investigations of high‑frequency signals, and assist with custom queries of processed data. The position demands a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Data Engineering or a related technical field, together with at least three years of professional experience in test instrumentation, data acquisition or sensor‑to‑database time‑series engineering, experience in aerospace, automotive or motorsport is preferred. Candidates must have hands‑on experience installing and servicing aircraft or vehicle sensors and DAQ hardware, a solid grasp of physical sensor types such as strain gauges, accelerometers and pressure transducers, and knowledge of signal conditioning, sampling and calibration procedures. Proficiency in Python or MATLAB for data analysis and visualization, as well as practical experience with time‑series databases like InfluxDB and writing efficient queries, is required. A strong foundation in data structures, memory and CPU optimisation for continuous high‑frequency streams, familiarity with timestamping and clock‑synchronisation protocols, and basic digital signal‑processing concepts are also essential. Effective cross‑functional communication, meticulous attention to calibration metadata and unit conversion, and a willingness to evolve the data infrastructure as test demands increase are key soft‑skill expectations. Preferred qualifications include familiarity with FAA/EASA or military flight‑test instrumentation standards, experience with Grafana dashboards for rapid post‑flight previews, competence with Git and CI/CD pipelines for tool distribution, knowledge of digital bus protocols such as CAN, ARINC 429, MIL‑STD‑1553 or Ethernet/UDP, exposure to binary flight‑data formats like IRIG 106, MDF/MF4, HDF5 or Parquet, and a track record of troubleshooting on‑aircraft hardware issues such as ground loops or signal noise. The role sits within a collaborative, multidisciplinary team that values continuous improvement and precision in handling critical flight data. What the role asks for: - Bachelor's or Master's in Aerospace, CS, Data Engineering or related field - Minimum three years in test instrumentation, DAQ or sensor‑to‑database engineering - Hands‑on experience with aircraft or vehicle sensor installations - Strong understanding of physical sensors and calibration procedures - Proficient in Python or MATLAB for data analysis and visualization - Experience with InfluxDB or comparable time‑series database - Solid data‑structure and CPU/memory optimisation skills - Experience with timestamping and clock‑synchronisation protocols - Basic digital signal‑processing knowledge - Ability to communicate across hardware, flight physics and software teams - Detail‑oriented mindset regarding metadata and unit accuracy - Adaptable to evolving sensor counts and analysis needs - Knowledge of FAA/EASA or military flight‑test standards (nice‑to‑have) - Familiarity with Grafana for post‑flight dashboards (nice‑to‑have) - Experience with Git and CI/CD pipelines (nice‑to‑have) - Understanding of CAN, ARINC 429, MIL‑STD‑1553, Ethernet/UDP (nice‑to‑have) - Exposure to binary flight‑data formats such as IRIG 106, MDF/MF4, HDF5 (nice‑to‑have) - Experience troubleshooting on‑aircraft hardware issues (nice‑to‑have)