Deputy-Chief Remote Pilot & Maintenance Controller

Queensland Government; Gold Coast City; Remote; AUD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Queensland Government on the Gold Coast is seeking a Deputy-Chief Remote Pilot & Maintenance Controller to manage RPAS maintenance programs and ensure airworthiness per CASA requirements. You will lead asset management for aircraft and equipment, supervise pilots and maintenance staff, and develop procedures to maintain high safety and compliance standards.

The role involves oversight of flight plans, training, incident response, and engagement with regulatory bodies.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated knowledge of CASA requirements for RPAS operations.
• Experience supervising pilots and maintenance staff.
• Proven ability to maintain RPAS maintenance records and ensure compliance with procedures.

Responsibilities

• Manage RPAS maintenance programs to ensure aircraft and payload airworthiness per CASA requirements.
• Lead development and maintenance of asset management programs for procurement, maintenance, and replacement.
• Maintain records of RPAS serviceability and ensure maintenance activities follow the Maintenance Manual and schedules.
• Supervise approved pilots and staff authorised to undertake maintenance tasks and ensure their competency.
• Investigate defects in RPAS and develop, enforce and monitor maintenance standards.
• Undertake the role of Deputy-Chief Remote Pilot and relieve as Chief Remote Pilot in their absence.
• When acting as CRP, assess and approve flight plans and manage electronic approvals and records.
• Support the CRP to ensure safe and lawful flying operations and compliance with legislation.
• Support training and development activities for pilots and crew.
• Monitor operational standards and assess proficiency of departmental pilots and crew.
• Ensure compliance with Queensland Drones Strategy, Drones Use Policy, and DES RPAS Policy.
• Develop procedures and relationships to facilitate approvals for operations in controlled airspace.
• Collaborate with other units to deliver fit-for-purpose service and disaster recovery responses.
• Contribute to investigations and research to advance departmental capability.

Skills

RPAS maintenance

Regulatory compliance

Leadership

Record keeping

Training and development

CASA liaison

Incident investigation

Job description

As the Deputy-Chief Remote Pilot & Maintenance Controller, PO6, you will:Be responsible for the management of RPAS maintenance programs to ensure aircraft and payload airworthiness in line with Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) requirements;Lead the development and maintenance of asset management programs to ensure aircraft and equipment are procured, maintained, and replaced in an efficient and effective manner;Maintain a record of RPAS serviceability and ensure all maintenance activities are carried out in accordance with the procedures specified in the Maintenance Manual and schedules of maintenance;Supervise approved pilots and other staff authorised to undertake maintenance tasks within DES in accordance with CASA requirements, and ensure the competency of those individuals;Investigate all defects in the RPAS and develop, enforce and monitor RPAS maintenance standards;Ensure appropriate record keeping as required by CASA and DES;Undertake the role of Deputy-Chief Remote Pilot, and relieve as Chief Remote Pilot (CRP) in the absence of the CRP;When relieving as the CRP, assess and approve flight plans lodged for flight operations by departmental pilots, and maintain all electronic approval and record keeping systems;Support the CRP to ensure all flying operations are undertaken in a safe and lawful manner, considering compliance with the Civil Aviation legislation, and all other state and federal legislation;Support delivery of training and development activities for all pilots and crew within the department;Support monitoring of operational standards, and assess the proficiency of all departmental pilots and crew operating under the Departmental ReOC;Ensure operations, including maintenance activities, are compliant with the Queensland Government - Queensland Drones Strategy, the Queensland Government Drones Use Policy, and the DES RPAS Policy;Support the development of procedures and professional relationships to facilitate approvals and permissions for operations in controlled and/or restricted airspace (predominately CASA, Airservices Australia & Department of Defence);Work collaboratively with other units in DES to provide fit-for-purpose service delivery, including timely disaster recovery and incident management responses;Undertake and support continued investigation and research to facilitate ongoing development of Departmental capability (aircraft and payloads);Develop or contribute to a range of documents including maintenance procedures, maintenance schedules, papers, briefs, training manuals, communiques, and reports for internal and external audiences;Provide or support advisory services to executive and senior management within the department, colleagues, and other Queensland Government departments operating RPAS in their business;Engage with a range of external and internal stakeholders including but not limited to; the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Airservices Australia, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Department of Defence, Queensland Police Service, Department of Transport and Main Roads, Department of Resources, and numerous others;Conduct or support investigations and review of all incidents, including reporting to the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, and Departmental incident reporting processes;Foster a workplace culture that supports and promotes the interests of First Nations people and actively engage through our work to contribute to better outcomes for First Nations people.Promote a safe, respectful and inclusive workplace that is free from bullying, discrimination and harassment.Applications to remain current for 12 monthsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Australia License.