Senior Drone Ops Engineer – AI-based Autonomy Hub

Jobtailor; Backnang; Vor Ort; EUR 50.000 - 70.000; Vollzeit

Zusammenfassung

Jobtailor in Germany seeks an experienced UAV flight test engineer to oversee hardware provisioning, sensor integration, and safe flight operations for autonomous drone platforms.

You will work on flight planning, regulatory approvals, and real-world testing, contributing to robust safety concepts and compliant operations. Fluency in German and English is required, with hands-on hardware and avionics experience essential.

Qualifikationen

• Completed degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, aviation management, mechatronics or equivalent.
• Initial practical experience in UAV operations, flight testing or model aviation.
• Several years of professional UAV operations and flight test engineering experience.
• Solid understanding of aviation regulations (EASA) and risk assessment methods.
• Strong hands-on hardware integration, avionics and payload sensor skills.
• Business fluent in German and English.

Aufgaben

• Hardware provisioning & maintenance for test drones and onboard electronics.
• Flight planning and approvals: obtain flight and airspace authorizations.
• Sensor selection and integration; calibration of hardware components.
• Real flight tests: participate in flight trials of autonomous software.
• Safety and operational concepts: develop operational concepts to secure complex operations (e.g., GNSS-denied flight).

Kenntnisse

Hardware integration

UAV operations

Flight test engineering

Aviation safety management

Risk assessment

Flight planning

Sensor calibration

German English

Ausbildung

Aerospace Eng

Mechatronics

Aviation mgmt

Jobbeschreibung

Responsibilities

• Hardware provisioning & maintenance: Physical assembly, configuration and ongoing maintenance of test drones and their onboard electronics.
• Flight planning & approvals: Support or manage the organizational preparation of test flights, including obtaining civil and military flight and airspace authorizations from the relevant authorities.
• Sensor selection & integration: Contribute to evaluations or lead the technical integration and calibration of advanced hardware components (e.g., EO/IR cameras, mesh‑network antennas, anti‑jamming sensors).
• Real flight tests: Actively participate in and conduct practical flight trials of the autonomous software under real‑world conditions.
• Safety & operational concepts: Assist in creating or independently develop well‑founded operational concepts to legally and physically secure complex operations (e.g., "GNSS‑denied flight").

Requirements

• A completed degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, aviation management, mechatronics or a comparable field.
• Professional: Initial practical experience (e.g., through internships, working‑student roles or early‑career positions) in UAV/drone operations, flight testing or model aviation.
• Senior: Relevant, several years of professional experience in UAV operations, flight test engineering and aviation safety management.
• Solid (Senior: in‑depth) understanding of aviation regulations (e.g., EASA guidelines), approval procedures and risk assessment methods.
• Strong hands‑on affinity for hardware integration, avionics and payload sensors.
• Business fluent in German and English.

Hard Skills

• hardware provisioning
• maintenance
• flight planning
• sensor selection
• integration
• calibration
• UAV operations
• flight test engineering
• aviation safety management
• risk assessment

Soft Skills

• organizational preparation
• hands‑on affinity
• communication