Systems Designer - Test & Integration

Airborne Optical Sensor Systems

January 2025 (Expected Start Date)

Burlington ON

**Please note that to be considered for any position at PV Labs, all candidates must be eligible to meet the requirements of the Canadian Controlled-Goods Program of the Defense Production Act, and be able to hold and maintain a Canadian Security Clearance. If you are not clear about your eligibility, please consult the Government of Canada website HERE**

About the Role

PVLabs is seeking a seasoned Systems Designer to help us broaden and evolve our test & integration and product qualification framework, allowing you to apply everything you know about validating compliance with customer and operational standards. It's the kind of role where getting it right is a whole-team effort, and expertise matters. At PVLabs, you will have the freedom to apply independent decision-making, and the ability to put your own signature on how PVLabs manages its qualification testing now and into the future.

This role is critical for ensuring that our complex airborne optical systems meet the rigorous standards required for military, ISR, and law enforcement applications, while maintaining performance standards under challenging environmental conditions. The Systems Test Specialist position will play a key part in advancing PVLabs' ground-breaking technology and ensuring its mission-critical reliability.

About the Responsibilities

Obviously, some typical Systems Engineering fundamentals will anchor the roles responsibilities, including:

• Developing and executing test plans and procedures for system-level testing and qualification activities

• Conducting system-level testing and analysis to verify performance and identify potential issues

• Working closely with the engineering team to troubleshoot and resolve any issues that arise during testing

• Documenting and reporting test results and provide recommendations for improvements

• Collaborating with other teams to ensure that all testing and qualification activities are completed on schedule and within budget

• Work with outside test facilities to complete qualification tests (travel up to XX%)

• Staying up-to-date with industry standards and best practices for testing and qualification

We are seeking an objective thinker who can look at an opportunity or a problem from several perspectives and create unique solutions with lasting effects. Someone who can understand the what if about qualification testing and anticipate issues before they arise.

Specific Responsibilities

Systems Test & Integration

• Own and lead the overall test and qualification of PVLabs airborne stabilized optical systems, including stabilization mechanisms, electro-optical sensors, and other associated payloads.
• Collaborate with our Mechanical, Electrical and Systems Engineering labs to ensure successful testing of all system components.
• Work with subsystems such as image sensors, lenses, motors, and gimbals to ensure proper functionality and stabilization performance.

Test Planning and Execution:

• Develop and execute detailed test plans and procedures for environmental testing (vibration, thermal, humidity, etc.) to verify system performance under real-world conditions.
• Conduct performance tests focused on stabilized image quality under various thermal and vibratory conditions.
• Analyze and troubleshoot system performance and stabilization issues during testing, working closely with design teams to address any identified problems.

Environmental Testing:

• Perform rigorous environmental testing using specialized equipment:
  • Vibration Testing: Use vibration tables (e.g., electrodynamic or hydraulic shakers) to simulate in-flight vibratory environments and assess system robustness and stabilization accuracy.
  • Shock Testing: Test systems using shock platforms to assess resilience against sudden and extreme forces.
  • Thermal Cycling: Perform thermal cycling to evaluate system stability and performance under rapid temperature fluctuations.

Test Equipment and Tools:

• Operate and maintain a range of standard test rigs and tools, including:
  • Vibration Tables (e.g., electrodynamic shakers, multi-axis vibration rigs) for simulating various operational vibratory environments.
  • Thermal Chambers (temperature and humidity control) to simulate extreme cold and heat conditions.
  • Accelerometers etc for measuring real-time system responses.
  • Optical Test Benches for assessing image stabilization and optical performance.
  • Data Acquisition Systems for capturing test data and performing post-test analysis/reporting and documentation.

Performance Analysis:

• Use real-time data acquisition systems and analysis tools to capture and interpret thermal, vibratory, and stabilization data.
• Evaluate system stabilization using image quality metrics and stabilization feedback systems.
• Document test results, prepare technical reports, and provide actionable feedback to design and engineering teams.

Compliance and Documentation:

• Ensure testing aligns with relevant military and aerospace standards (e.g., MIL-STD-810/461/704 for environmental testing, DO-160 for commercial and/or R&D / S&T program systems testing.
• Maintain detailed test logs, performance data, and failure reports.
• Support the development of test protocols in line with customer and regulatory requirements.

Desired Skills and Competencies:

• Post Secondary education in Mechanical, Mechatronics or Electrical Engineering or a related field
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in systems testing and qualification of complex mechatronics systems
• 3+ years of experience in systems integration and testing, preferably in the aerospace or defense sectors.
• Strong understanding of airborne electro-optical systems, gyro-stabilized platforms, and optomechanical devices.
• Hands-on experience with vibration tables, thermal chambers, and other environmental testing platforms.
• Familiarity with MIL-STD-810/461/704, DO-160, and other relevant military/aerospace testing standards.
• Experience in troubleshooting complex mechatronic and electro-optical systems.
• Proficiency in data acquisition, analysis, and reporting tools.
• Strong communication and technical writing skills for preparing test plans, reports, and failure analysis.
• Hands-on electrical and mechanical aptitude

Desired Tools and Platforms Experience

• Vibration Testing: Electrodynamic and hydraulic vibration tables (e.g., Unholtz-Dickie, Brel & Kjr).
• Thermal Testing: Thermal chambers (e.g., Thermotron, ESPEC).
• Data Acquisition Systems: National Instruments (NI), LabVIEW.
• Software Tools: MATLAB, Python, and other relevant analysis platforms

About You as a Test & Integration Systems Designer

Our success is not only derived from the collective technical capabilities of our team, but more importantly HOW we work together. Heres what we value, and we seek those share the following:

• Creativity, Curiosity and Problem Solving, with healthy obsession for attention to detail and finding pragmatic solutions to complex problems

• Not afraid to seek out responsibility and opportunities to take the lead.

• A confident technical communicator who can articulate ideas and concepts, but who also knows that confidence in communication also means asking for help when you need it.

• A continuous-improvement approach/mindset to design, processes and practices

• You can drive the system engineer process rather than just being a passenger.

• Constructively provide and receive guidance and mentoring to/from other members of the Production and Engineering labs as were all in this together.

• Preference for working on smaller, nimble teams that can make local decisions and implement solutions quickly.

• The kind of professional maturity that enables you to manage your own time and priorities and finds motivation from multiple sources.

• If you play an instrument, even better. With several PVLabs people (including our CEO) guitars and keyboards - an in-house band isn't far off...

Whats in It for You?

PV Labs is where your engineering career meets limitless innovation and unparalleled impact and you'll be immersed in an environment where groundbreaking technology meets exceptional talent. We take immense pride in our distinctive workplace culture - it fosters collaboration and ingenuity, creating an atmosphere of autonomy, mastery and purpose.

Our workplace culture is derived from our signature work-life philosophy, weve fully embraced a 4-day, 8-hour per day work week, throughout the year supported by a hybrid working mode model that allows you to work from where it makes the most sense to. We focus on maximizing performance by measuring outputs instead of metrics on hours or location, and the idea that team performance achieved through individual performance.

As an integral member of our skilled engineering team, you'll be able to really channel your focus, passion, and expertise into an array of ground-breaking systems, products and projects. Your contributions will span the design, development, and maintenance of state-of-the-art electro-mechanical stabilization platforms, motion-control systems, camera and lens control systems, video-processing technologies, remote I/O subsystems, and the integration and control of cutting-edge laser technologies.