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Flight Performance Engineer Jobs in Massachusetts

Merlin Labs

Electrical Engineer

Boston, MA

$85K - $115K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Quonset Point, Rhode Island; and soon ... high-performance hardware applications. You enjoy solving challenging technical problems and ...

Merlin Labs

Electrical Engineer

Boston, MA · On-site

$85K - $115K/yr

... flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Quonset Point, Rhode Island; and soon ... high-performance hardware applications. You enjoy solving challenging technical problems and ...

Draper

Senior Flight Software Engineer

Cambridge, MA · On-site

$82K - $220K/yr

The Senior Engineer will own the endtoend software lifecycle-from requirements analysis and ... Analyzes designs to demonstrate performance and functionality. Develops and executes software tests ...

Specter Aerospace

RF Hardware Engineer

Peabody, MA · On-site

Analyze telemetry performance and RF data following laboratory, field, and flight tests. * Take ... Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, physics, or a related field.

Merlin Labs

Electrical Engineer II

Boston, MA · On-site

$115K - $150K/yr

... flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Quonset Point, Rhode Island; and soon ... high-performance hardware applications. You enjoy solving challenging technical problems and ...

Merlin Labs

Electrical Engineer II

Boston, MA

$115K - $150K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Life

  • Retirement

  • PTO

... flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Quonset Point, Rhode Island; and soon ... high-performance hardware applications. You enjoy solving challenging technical problems and ...

Specter Aerospace

Mechanical Engineer I

Peabody, MA · On-site

... optimize novel flight systems to meet internal and customer performance requirements Job ... Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related fields * Proficiency using CAD software ...

Draper

Flight Software Engineer

Cambridge, MA · On-site

$62K - $245K/yr

The Software Engineer 2 develops high performance solutions for resource constrained targets. Develops next-generation resilient and fault tolerant software solutions in the application domains of ...

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Flight Performance Engineer information

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How much do flight performance engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 14, 2026, the average hourly pay for flight performance engineer in Massachusetts is $65.64, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $53.80 and $74.28 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a flight performance engineer?

Flight Performance Engineers are specialized professionals responsible for analyzing and optimizing the performance of aircraft during all phases of flight. They assess factors such as fuel efficiency, payload, climb rates, and range to ensure aircraft operate safely and efficiently. Their work involves using advanced software models, interpreting flight test data, and collaborating with design and operations teams to improve aircraft performance and meet regulatory standards.

What is the difference between Flight Performance Engineer vs Flight Test Engineer?

AspectFlight Performance EngineerFlight Test Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's in aerospace, mechanical, or related engineering; often certifications in aeronauticsBachelor's in aerospace, mechanical, or related engineering; certifications in testing or aviation
Work EnvironmentAircraft performance analysis, in-flight data monitoring, and optimizationDesign, plan, and execute flight tests, analyze test data
Employer & Industry UsageAirlines, aircraft manufacturers, aerospace companiesAircraft manufacturers, aerospace testing facilities, defense contractors

While both roles involve aircraft and aeronautics, Flight Performance Engineers focus on analyzing and optimizing aircraft performance during flights, whereas Flight Test Engineers design and conduct flight tests to validate aircraft systems. Both roles require similar technical backgrounds but differ in daily tasks and objectives.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a flight performance engineer?

To thrive as a Flight Performance Engineer, you need a strong background in aerospace engineering, physics, and mathematics, typically supported by a relevant engineering degree. Proficiency in simulation software (such as MATLAB, Simulink, or flight performance analysis tools) and knowledge of regulatory standards are essential. Strong analytical thinking, attention to detail, and effective communication skills set exceptional candidates apart in this field. These skills are critical for ensuring accurate performance calculations, regulatory compliance, and effective collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to guarantee safe and efficient aircraft operations.

What are some common challenges faced by flight performance engineers when collaborating with cross-functional teams?

Flight Performance Engineers frequently work with teams from avionics, propulsion, aerodynamics, and operations. A common challenge is translating complex performance data into actionable insights that are understandable to colleagues from different technical backgrounds. Additionally, aligning performance requirements with design and regulatory constraints often requires strong communication and negotiation skills. Successful Flight Performance Engineers proactively foster open dialogue and use data visualization or simulation tools to bridge knowledge gaps and ensure all stakeholders are aligned on project goals.

What are popular job titles related to Flight Performance Engineer jobs in Massachusetts?

For Flight Performance Engineer jobs in Massachusetts, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Flight Performance Engineer jobs in Massachusetts look for?

The top searched job categories for Flight Performance Engineer jobs in Massachusetts are:

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Cities in Massachusetts with the most Flight Performance Engineer job openings:

Flight Performance Engineer jobs near you

Electrical Engineer

Merlin Labs

Boston, MA

$85K - $115K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 24 days ago

Job description

About Merlin:
Merlin (NASDAQ: MRLN) is a publicly traded aerospace and defense company building a non-human pilot to deliver full-stack autonomy for any aircraft from takeoff to touchdown. The Merlin Pilot autonomy system powers a growing range of aircraft and mission profiles and has been proven through hundreds of autonomous flights from Merlin's global flight test facilities, including Kerikeri, New Zealand; Quonset Point, Rhode Island; and soon, Bedford, Massachusetts. Headquartered in Boston, Merlin is expanding its organization to accelerate the development and deployment of its autonomy platform, helping customers solve some of aviation's most pressing challenges, from pilot shortages to improving flight safety. Backed by some of the world's leading investors prior to its public listing, Merlin continues to advance the certification and commercialization of autonomous flight across commercial and defense aviation. 

About You:
You are a motivated and detail-oriented electrical engineer who is excited to help develop next-generation autonomous aerospace systems. You thrive in fast-paced startup environments where collaboration, ownership, and technical excellence are critical to success. You bring experience designing and integrating complex electrical systems for aerospace, robotics, autonomous systems, or other high-performance hardware applications.
 
You enjoy solving challenging technical problems and working across multidisciplinary teams to bring advanced hardware from concept through flight testing and production. You are comfortable balancing rapid development timelines with the rigor required for mission-critical systems and regulated environments. You are hands-on, adaptable, and passionate about building reliable, scalable electrical architectures that enable autonomous flight.
Responsibilities:
  • Design, develop, and integrate electrical systems and hardware for autonomous aircraft platforms including power distribution, avionics interfaces, harnessing, sensors, communications, and embedded electronics
  • Create schematics, wiring diagrams, and electrical documentation to support prototype and production hardware builds
  • Support electrical architecture development, component selection, system integration, and hardware validation activities
  • Collaborate closely with mechanical, avionics, software, systems engineering, manufacturing, and flight test teams to ensure seamless integration across aircraft systems
  • Perform electrical analysis, troubleshooting, and root cause investigations to resolve hardware and integration issues
  • Support prototype assembly, hardware bring-up, integration testing, environmental testing, and flight test operations
  • Develop and execute electrical test plans, validation procedures, and qualification activities
  • Work with suppliers and manufacturing partners to support fabrication, sourcing, and production readiness efforts
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on reliability, manufacturability, weight optimization, power efficiency, and system performance
  • Operate effectively in a fast-moving development environment with evolving priorities and aggressive execution schedules
Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related engineering discipline
  • 1-3 years of professional electrical engineering experience in aerospace, autonomous systems, robotics, automotive, defense, or other high-performance hardware industries
  • Experience designing and integrating electrical systems for complex electromechanical platforms
  • Experience creating wiring diagrams, wiring harness documentation, and electrical integration drawings
  • Knowledge of power systems, signal integrity, embedded hardware, sensors, communications interfaces, and avionics integration principles
  • Hands-on experience with hardware bring-up, lab debugging, electrical testing, and troubleshooting
  • Familiarity with oscilloscopes, multimeters, logic analyzers, and other electrical lab equipment
  • Understanding of EMC/EMI considerations, grounding strategies, and reliability-focused design practices
  • Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate across multidisciplinary engineering teams
  • Experience supporting autonomous aircraft, UAVs, eVTOL platforms, robotics systems, or flight hardware development is highly preferred
  • Hands-on mechanical prototyping a plus (3d printing, laser cutting, etc.)
  • Familiarity with FAA certification environments, aerospace standards, or regulated development processes is a plus
$85,000 - $115,000 a year

The compensation range provided is a good-faith estimate based on a wide range of factors, inclusive of base salary only. The actual offer will be determined by a variety of factors including the candidate's qualifications, skills, experience, education, and training. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Merlin's total compensation package. Additionally, Merlin offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees.

Merlin Labs offers an innovative, entrepreneurial, and team-focused startup environment. We also offer a top-notch benefits package (health, dental, life, unlimited vacation, and 401k with match) and work/life integration. Being part of the Merlin team allows you to become part of a small team that supports professional development while working together to achieve our mission.
 
Merlin Labs is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, military service or obligation or disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law. All job offers are contingent upon the candidate passing background and reference checks.
 
At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or consider candidates who require visa transfers. Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for visa sponsorship now or in the future. 
 
In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and to complete the required employment eligibility verification form upon hire.
 
If you require reasonable accommodation in completing an application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to: [email protected]
 
Merlin Labs does not accept unsolicited resumes from any source other than directly from candidates.
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