Air Operations Specialist

Job description

Job responsibilities

• Deploy to live events and exercises to operate small UAS systems, integrate with military units, and ensure mission success in the field.
• Plan, coordinate, and brief drone operations to military customers and internal stakeholders, ranging from small teams to senior military leadership.
• Support hardware and software development through operational test events and customer demonstrations, providing real-world operator feedback to engineering teams.
• Serve as a trusted interface with military customers, understanding operational needs and translating them into actionable inputs for Mission Operations and Product teams.
• Identify operational gaps, surface issues, and contribute to refining tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) for autonomous systems.
• Collaborate across the Mission Operations team, contributing wherever needed to support the mission while maintaining a team-first mindset.

Job requirements

• Hands-on experience with military drone systems and operational employment tactics.
• Demonstrated experience planning and briefing operations.
• Personal passion for small UAS beyond a professional setting, including recreational flying, building or modifying platforms, or active involvement in the drone community.
• Hands-on experience with open-source autopilot systems such as ArduPilot, PX4, or equivalent, including configuration, troubleshooting, and tuning.
• Familiarity with common ground control station (GCS) platforms such as Mission Planner, QGroundControl, or similar, including flight log analysis.
• Understanding of RF fundamentals, link budget considerations, and basic electronics as they relate to UAS.
• Willingness to obtain an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate if not already certified.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 30% of the time, including potential overseas deployments.