Test Systems Engineer / Test Equipment Development Engineer

Test Systems Engineer / Test Equipment Development Engineer

Location : Luton, UK (5 days onsite)

Contract Length : 12 Months (Inside IR35)

Rate : £60-64 per hour

Working Arrangement : Fully Onsite

Industry : Aerospace & Defence

Experience Level : 9–15 years

Clearance : BPSS + ability to obtain SC (UK / EU citizenship required)

Overview

We are seeking an experienced Test Systems Engineer / Test Equipment (TE) Development Engineer to join our client\’s team in Luton. The role focuses on formalising, expanding, and improving an existing prototype Design Verification Test (DVT) system for high-reliability aerospace and defence applications. The successful candidate will carry the test equipment through its full development lifecycle — from requirements capture through to qualification — ensuring the delivery of reliable, compliant, and well-documented TE solutions.

This is a fully onsite, Inside IR35 contract within a highly technical, safety-critical engineering environment.

Key Responsibilities

Responsibilities may vary depending on experience, but will typically include :

Test Requirements & Planning

• Define and formalise test requirements for Design Verification (DV) and Qualification of main equipment LRIs
• Generate comprehensive test plans and supporting documentation
• Plan and prepare all aspects of TE development, including custom / COTS hardware, test tools, and test software

Test Equipment Design & Development

• Produce TE requirement specifications for hardware and software
• Develop detailed TE design documentation, including schematics, drawings, BOMs, wiring diagrams, and design reports
• Work closely with TE software engineers to ensure software solutions meet requirements
• Identify, propose, and deliver TE design improvements to meet evolving test needs
• Conduct and support safety and cyber-security assessments of the DVT system

Documentation & Governance

• Produce all required documentation across the TE development lifecycle
• Present design data, TE status, risks, and actions at design reviews
• Release TE hardware drawings, BOMs, VDDs, SRNs, and software documentation in customer PDM / PLM systems
• Prepare user documentation for DVT systems

Testing, Qualification & Delivery

• Oversee or support the qualification process for TE solutions
• Produce qualification and acceptance reports
• Support early Design Verification Testing of main equipment LRIs as required
• Ensure TE solutions are compliant, repeatable, robust, and aligned with programme needs

Mandatory Skills & Experience

• Proven TE development experience for complex, high-reliability systems
• Strong understanding of the full TE lifecycle: requirements → design → development → qualification
• Experience working in multi-discipline engineering teams
• Hands‑on use of General Purpose Test Equipment (oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, signal generators, etc.)
• Ability to run test scripts and support automated test environments
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to produce high‑quality documentation:
• Test requirements
• TE specifications
• TE design documentation
• User manuals
• Qualification / acceptance reports