UAV, Director of Flight Operations

4 days ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Get AI-powered advice on this job and more exclusive features.

Ideal Aerosmith is a leading supplier of precision inertial guidance test systems, flight motion simulators, and a premier provider of aerospace test engineering services, ATE system engineering, and quality contract manufacturing services to the aerospace industry. We’re experts and we earn that title every day with our customers through innovative engineering, manufacturing, and sustainment of world-class motion and electric test solutions and services.

Here, we don’t just solve complex problems - we redefine what’s possible. Every role at Ideal Aerosmith supports a lean culture through continuous improvement - ongoing, incremental enhancements to products, processes, or services aimed at reducing waste and boosting efficiency, customer service, and performance. With a team of skilled problem solvers and a culture that thrives on tackling challenges head‑on, we are dedicated to our clients’ success.

Enjoy competitive benefits, a supportive work environment, and every other Friday off to recharge.

The UAV, Director of Flight Operations is responsible for establishing, leading, and maturing Ideal Aerosmith’s Group 3 UAS flight operations capability. This role builds, trains, and sustains a professional cadre of UAV pilots and Ground Control Station (GCS) crew members, ensuring safe, standardized, and scalable flight operations in support of research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E), production acceptance, and government demonstrations.

Reporting to the Test & Evaluation (T&E) Integrated Product Team (IPT) Lead, and ultimately supporting the Program Manager, this role establishes the operational framework, training systems, and regulatory alignment required for safe, compliant, and repeatable Group 3 UAS flight operations across multiple test sites and operational environments.

• Establish and oversee all Group 3 UAS flight operations supporting developmental test, operational test, production acceptance, and customer demonstrations.
• Serve as the senior authority for flight operations discipline, crew standardization, and operational risk management.
• Ensure flight operations are executed in accordance with FAA regulations, Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COA), range safety requirements, and DoW test protocols.

• Build, train, and sustain a qualified cadre of UAV pilots and GCS crew members.
• Develop and maintain pilot and crew training syllabi for Group 3 UAS platforms.
• Establish Crew Resource Management (CRM) standards tailored to unmanned and distributed operations.
• Author and maintain flight training manuals, standard operating procedures, and qualification standards.
• Define initial qualification, currency, and requalification requirements for flight crews.

• Act as the primary flight operations interface with the FAA, test ranges, and regulatory authorities.
• Support COA development, amendments, and operational compliance in coordination with internal stakeholders.
• Coordinate with government customers and test sites to align operational procedures and safety expectations.

• Oversee flight crew scheduling, crew availability, and sortie support planning.
• Provide operational input to flight test planning products, test cards, CONOPS, and risk assessments.
• Ensure flight operations are resourced and aligned to support high‑tempo test and production schedules.

• Work closely with engineering, maintenance, safety, and program teams to enable safe sortie generation and rapid issue resolution.
• Provide operational feedback to inform system design, autonomy development, and human‑machine interface improvements.
• Support operational test readiness reviews, safety reviews, and government demonstrations.

• 10+ years of experience in unmanned aircraft systems operations, flight test, or aviation operations leadership.
• Extensive operational experience with Group 2 and/or Group 3 UAS platforms.
• Demonstrated experience…