Originally Posted by Cubdriver

Designated Engineering Representative is a title often obtained on the job, and a company may put it in the job description without actually planning to get any applicants. It is more common obtained on the job. Not a lot of people have it for flight test either, so the competition should not be too heavy on those jobs. A firmly stated intention to get an FAA representative status should keep your job application moving if you can get an interview.

The National Test Pilot School background is another thing that is very hard to get outside of work and few candidates have it coming through the door (or after being hired, for that matter). It is the gold standard for test pilot candidates, but being as expensive as it is, companies must look at candidates without it. I know it's depressing to check a box that asks "do you have a certificate of completion of any TPS course of programs" to no, but I assure you not many "can" check that box and they are still putting an application. What's more, I have known a number of successful test pilots without formal test technique training, they came up from non-flying jobs.

So, the takeaway is 1. Apply anyway 2. They are fishing for pretty rare people with postings like these.