Test & Evaluation Manager

Gibbs & Cox Australia (GCA) provides world-leading naval and marine engineering expertise for Australia's maritime enterprise. Our vision is a vibrant, sustainable, sovereign Australian shipbuilding, design and maritime enterprise.

GCA is a subsidiary of Leidos Gibbs & Cox, an international leader in naval ship design, providing naval engineering and design services on a range of major combatant and surface autonomy programs. Gibbs & Cox has a proud history of excellence, serving naval, government, commercial, and private marine clients since 1929. GCA leverages support from Gibbs & Cox's international network of expertise to offer world's best practice in naval ship design and engineering.

In Australia, we operate a select, highly skilled, internationally diverse engineering team, providing engineering and design advisory services to Australia's naval programs, and maritime autonomy system development. Our team holds expertise across naval architecture, marine engineering, systems engineering, integrated logistics support, engineering consulting and acquisition program management.

We are an innovative and experienced multi-disciplinary team, passionate about engineering in the maritime sector, and Australian sovereign capability. We offer a dynamic, flexible work environment. We value diversity and encourage applicants to bring their unique skills and capabilities to our growing team.

Our new opportunities are focussed on a new project delivering maritime autonomy technology and capabilities with tight timeframes and a dynamic engineering environment. We are seeking candidates who ideally can demonstrate a strong operational engineering skill set as well as a design background with a focus on design for manufacture. Creativity, flexibility and positivity through challenges are characteristics we are seeking in our team.

We are seeking a senior engineer to join their next major challenge defining and executing the test program to deliver advanced marine autonomous systems.

The position may include the following responsibilities

• T&E Program Strategy – Assess program verification and validation needs, formulate a strategy, and document a comprehensive program Test & Evaluation plan that defines all activities required to safely and efficiently demonstrate system safety, compliance, and performance.
• Test Planning – Define test objectives, identify test scenarios, specify test procedures, and allocate resources effectively.
• Test Execution – Coordinate and oversee the execution of tests, ensuring adherence to established test plans. This will involve tests ranging from performance simulations, sub-system function bench testing, system acceptance testing, production sea trails, through to complex long-range autonomous missions in various operating conditions.
• Data Collection and Analysis – Collect and analyse test data to evaluate the performance, reliability, and safety of systems. This includes monitoring test parameters, recording test results, identifying anomalies or deficiencies, and conducting analysis to draw conclusions and make recommendations.
• Risk Management – Identify and mitigate risks associated with testing and evaluation activities, including safety hazards, equipment failures, and environmental impacts. Develop risk management plans and contingency measures to ensure the safety of personnel and assets during testing operations.
• Quality Assurance – Ensure that testing and evaluation activities comply with relevant quality standards, regulations, and industry best practices. Implement quality assurance processes to verify the accuracy, integrity, and reliability of test data and results.
• Documentation – Prepare comprehensive test reports and documentation summarising test objectives, procedures, results, and conclusions. Document findings, observations, and recommendations for further analysis, decision-making, and future reference.
• Stakeholder Communication – Communicate test plans, progress, and results to stakeholders, including project managers, engineers, clients, and regulatory authorities if required. Provide regular updates, reports, and presentations to keep stakeholders informed and engaged throughout the testing and evaluation process.
• Technical Expertise – Maintain a thorough understanding of maritime systems, including their design, operation, and performance characteristics. Stay abreast of technological advancements, industry trends, and regulatory requirements relevant to maritime testing and evaluation.
• Collaboration and Coordination – Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineers, designers, technicians, and operators, to ensure effective coordination of testing activities. Establish clear lines of communication and foster teamwork to achieve common goals and objectives.
• Continuous Improvement – Identify opportunities for process improvement, efficiency gains, and performance optimization in testing and evaluation procedures. Implement lessons learned from previous tests to enhance future testing efforts and contribute to the overall improvement of maritime systems.

This is a creative, fast-paced project which requires the right mindset. We are seeking candidates with the following attributes:

Critical Attributes

• Test Management Experience – demonstrated responsibility for, or contribution to, designing and executing complex test programs for marine and/or military systems
• Safety focus – strong leadership of operational safety in a test / experimentation environment, and use of test to improve and assure system safety
• Collaborative – able to quickly establish productive and positive working relationships with a range of stakeholders who have different approaches, interests and styles
• Strong communicator – ability to engage with stakeholders and explain complex issues concisely. Clear and accurate writer
• Accountable – keeps commitments, adapts to challenges to maintain progress, openly addresses errors and shortfalls
• Positive Outlook – A positive, solution-orientated attitude, supportive of other team members and stakeholders, criticism is constructive and builds the work and the team forward
• Adaptability – Able to adapt to evolving requirements and changing operational conditions in a dynamic program environment

Desirable Attributes

• Degree qualified engineer an advantage
• Knowledge of light commercial and recreational marine systems an advantage, including diesel mechanical systems, low voltage marine electrical systems, NMEA2000 networks, J1939 CANBUS networks.
• Experience in waterfront engineering, commissioning or set-to-work in a marine vessel new build or sustainment context
• Clear understanding of systems engineering process - from requirements analysis, specification writing, through to system and sub-system level design/interface description
• Professional Engineering credentials, for example, MIEAust, MRINA, Chartered Engineer

Location: we operate a nationally-distributed team. The project is centred around our Newcastle, Canberra and East Melbourne teams / locations. All east-coast mainland locations will be considered, but a moderate amount of domestic travel should be expected as part of the role.

Employment type: Permanent full time, with flexible work arrangements available.

We offer a broad range of employment benefits and flexibility provisions. Please see https://www.gibbscox.com.au/careers/ for an overview.

The successful applicant will be required to hold a valid NV1 security clearance or have the ability to obtain and maintain a valid security clearance as well as other mandatory background checks including a National Police check.