Senior Instrumentation Engineer

Forge the Future: Join Voyager Technologies

The Senior Instrumentation Engineer will be located onsite in Pueblo, CO and reports to the Operations Engineering Lead. This role is the hands-on technical authority for instrumentation and data acquisition across Voyager Energetics' test programs — responsible for designing, building, calibrating, and validating the sensor systems, signal conditioning, and DAQ infrastructure that capture critical data during R&D and production testing of solid rocket motors and energetic materials. With 7+ years of practical instrumentation experience, this individual brings deep expertise in measurement system design, a meticulous approach to data integrity, and the judgment to operate safely and effectively in a high-consequence test environment.

In this role, the essential functions are:

• Design, specify, procure, install, calibrate, and validate instrumentation systems for test programs — spanning pressure, temperature (thermocouple, RTD, pyrometer), strain (Wheatstone bridge configurations), vibration and shock (accelerometers, PCB), thrust, mass flow rate, and high-speed transient measurements — ensuring measurement system accuracy, traceability, and data integrity from sensor to recorded output.
• Build, configure, and operate data acquisition systems (NI PXI, CompactDAQ, DEWESoft, or equivalent platforms) for R&D test events and production Lot Acceptance Tests, including channel configuration, triggering logic, sampling rate selection, and real-time data monitoring during test execution.
• Develop and maintain instrumentation calibration programs — performing or coordinating sensor calibrations, maintaining calibration records and traceability to NIST standards, and managing calibration schedules across the instrumentation asset inventory.
• Author instrumentation-specific test documentation including measurement system plans, sensor selection rationale, wiring diagrams, channel lists, calibration packages, and instrumentation sections of formal test plans and test reports.
• Support test stand design and commissioning efforts — collaborating with Mission Infrastructure Engineering and Automation & Controls Engineering to define instrumentation requirements, route signal cabling, integrate sensors into SCADA/DAQ systems, and validate end-to-end measurement chains prior to live test events.
• Perform post-test data reduction and quality review — verifying data completeness and validity, identifying and documenting anomalous channels, applying engineering unit conversions and corrections, and supporting formal data review and test report generation.
• Troubleshoot instrumentation and DAQ system failures during test preparation and post-event — diagnosing issues across the full signal chain from sensor through conditioning, cabling, and recording hardware — and implementing corrective actions to restore measurement capability.
• Mentor junior engineers and technicians in instrumentation fundamentals, calibration methods, DAQ configuration, and safe sensor handling practices in test and energetic environments.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related technical discipline with 7 years of experience in instrumentation and data acquisition engineering OR Master's degree in a relevant field with 5 years of experience OR 11 years of hands-on instrumentation engineering experience in lieu of a degree.
• Demonstrated hands-on proficiency designing, building, instrumenting and validating multi-channel instrumentation systems across a broad range of sensor types — including pressure, temperature, strain, vibration, shock, thrust, and high-speed transient measurements — in an aerospace, defense, or high-consequence test environment.
• Extensive experience configuring and operating data acquisition platforms (NI PXI, NI CompactDAQ, DEWESoft, or equivalent) including channel setup, triggering, sampling configuration, and real-time monitoring during live test events.
• Proven experience maintaining instrumentation calibration programs, including sensor calibration execution or coordination, NIST-traceable calibration records, and calibration asset management.
• Experience authoring instrumentation documentation — wiring diagrams, channel lists, calibration packages, measurement system plans — and contributing instrumentation sections to formal test plans and test reports.
• Demonstrated commitment to data integrity, measurement accuracy, and safety culture, with the ability to operate within rigorous regulatory environments including OSHA, ITAR, and energetic or hazardous materials test safety standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience with solid rocket motor, liquid propulsion, or other energetic system test operations — including familiarity with test stand safety requirements and high-consequence test event protocols.
• Proficiency with LabVIEW, NI TestStand, MATLAB, or equivalent tools for DAQ system programming, automated test sequencing, or post-test data reduction and analysis.

Travel, Physical and Government Mandated Requirements

• Travel up to 10%, including the possibility of overnights within the continental United States.
• Ability to lift, move, or carry items or equipment up to 50 pounds. Comfortable standing, walking, climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, and crouching in a manufacturing and test environment; use of personal protective equipment required.
• Candidates must meet all eligibility requirements to obtain and maintain applicable state and federal explosives licenses, including minimum age requirements (21 and over), a drug-free workplace in compliance with the Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988 (41 U.S.C. §§ 8101–8106), Executive Order 12564 (Drug-Free Federal Workplace), applicable Department of Defense directives including DoD Instruction 1010.09 and DFARS 252.226-7003, and successful completion of any legally required background investigations.
• To conform to U.S. Government space technology export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), you must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident of the U.S., protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State.

The good faith base salary range for this role is $135,000 - $165,000 at the time of this posting. Where you fall within the range depends on your experience, skills, and location. This range reflects base salary only and does not include benefits or bonus/incentive. This range may be adjusted in the future.

Voyager offers a highly competitive total compensation package designed to support the well-being, growth, and success of our employees. Employees benefit from a flexible and comprehensive rewards program that supports both professional and personal well-being.

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR Parts 120–130) and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 CFR Parts 730–774), applicants for this position must be a U.S. Person: a US Citizen, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., or a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3). Applicants must be eligible to obtain any required export authorizations from the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Minority/Female/Disabled/Veteran

The statements contained in this job description are intended to describe the general content and requirements for performance of this job. It is not intended to be an exhaustive list of all job duties, responsibilities, and requirements. This job description is not an employment agreement or contract. Management has the exclusive right to alter the scope of work within the framework of this job description at any time without prior notice.

Colorado pay range

$135,000—$165,000 USD