BVLOS Drone Pilot

British Transport Police; Greater London; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 47,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

28 days annual leave

London region benefits

Blue Light Card access

Pension scheme

Cycle salary sacrifice

Job summary

British Transport Police in London is seeking a BVLOS Drone Pilot (Police Staff) to join the Drone Development Programme within A-Division. You will manage safe drone flights, progress through a structured training and accreditation path, and operate drones daily to provide real-time intelligence for incident response across the railway network.

The role involves rotating shifts, office-based work, and occasional travel for familiarisation.

Qualifications

• Fully complete BVLOS drone training and ongoing competency assessments.
• Experience in safety-critical, regulated environments with procedures and risk controls.
• Ability to assess live situations and make timely decisions within defined procedures and regulatory frameworks.
• Capability to apply risk assessment processes and use checklists in safety-critical environments.
• Maintain focus in fast-paced operational settings during high-pressure incidents.
• Communicate clearly with operational colleagues and stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Deliver BVLOS drone operations for patrol and incident response, adhering to procedures.
• Operate BVLOS Drone in a Box (DIAB) to support policing objectives and improve response.
• Provide real-time intelligence during live incidents to aid decision-making.
• Maintain accreditation and competency through training and assessments.

Skills

BVLOS drone training

Risk assessment

Decision making under pressure

Communication with stakeholders

Safety-critical environment experience

Tools

DIAB operations

Regulatory compliance tools

Job description

Job Introduction

Salary: £35,754.47 per annum, plus £4613.61 London Allowance and an additional 15% Shift Allowance

Contract Type: 23 Month Fixed Term Contract

Location: BTP Ebury Bridge, London. Occasional travel across the BTP UK network may be required for familiarisation visits or continuing professional development activities.

Type of Working Arrangement: Office Based

Hours: Rotating shift pattern, including day and night shifts

British Transport Police (BTP) is the national police force for the rail network throughout Great Britain. We are the 'Guardians of the Railway,' putting passenger safety at the heart of what we do. Our values are simply: We Care, We Do the Right Thing, We Strive to Be Better Every Day, We Are One BTP, and We Are Proud to Protect. Join us and help create an environment where we can all be our best every day.

The Opportunity

British Transport Police have an opportunity for a BVLOS Drone Pilot (Police Staff) to join the Drone Development Programme within A-Division. As a BVLOS Drone Pilot with BTP, you will be responsible for the safe flight and management of BTP's remotely operated drones. Working towards the Drone Development Programme strategy, you will undertake a structured programme of training and accreditation before operating drones daily to provide real-time intelligence, support incident response, save lives, reduce disruption and respond to incidents across the railway network.

What you’ll be doing

• Deliver safe and effective Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations for patrol and incident response, ensuring compliance with regulatory, organisational and operational procedures.
• Operate BVLOS Drone in a Box (DIAB) drones to support policing objectives and improve response capability across the rail network.
• Provide real-time intelligence during live incidents, working with operational colleagues and external partners to support decision‑making and incident resolution.
• Maintain operational accreditation and competency standards through mandatory training, assessment and continuous professional development.

What you’ll bring to the team

• Ability and willingness to successfully complete specialist BVLOS drone training, accreditation and ongoing competency assessments.
• Experience of working within safety-critical, regulated or compliance-driven operational environments, applying defined procedures, governance requirements and risk controls.
• Ability to assess live situations, interpret risk and make timely, proportionate decisions within defined procedures and regulatory frameworks.
• Strong capability to apply risk assessment processes, follow checklists and operate consistently within safety-critical and compliance-driven environments.
• Ability to maintain focus over extended periods in a fast‑paced operational environment, including during high‑pressure or time‑critical incidents.
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively with operational colleagues and stakeholders to support coordinated responses and decision‑making.

What we offer

• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing to 30 days after 5 years.
• Family-friendly policies, including up to 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave.
• Bespoke benefits platform and Blue Light Card access.
• Salary sacrifice options for cycles, home technology, gym membership, and electric vehicles.
• Interest‑free annual rail season ticket loan after 6 months.
• Access to the Transport Benevolent Fund for health, welfare, and financial support.
• Development opportunities, including fully funded apprenticeships.
• Excellent Pension scheme: We offer the BTP GPP Police Staff Pension Scheme, administered by Royal London. This group personal pension plan is available to all police staff and is a defined contribution scheme. It provides the flexibility to vary your pension contributions from 4.4% to 12% of your salary. For more information, visit the Royal London dedicated pension page or email us at [e-mail]. Note: If you are an existing member of Police Staff in the RPS, your pension will not be affected.

Additional Information

Further information about this vacancy can be found in the attached job description.

Vetting

Successful applicants will be required to pass Recruitment Vetting (3 years minimum UK residency required), including full background and financial disclosure. For more information and Top Tips, please see attached document.

Medical

We'll ask for relevant health and medical history details to support employee wellbeing.

References

We'll ask for references to cover the past 5 years.

Completed applications must be submitted by 11.59pm, Monday 7th September 2026

Inclusion & Diversity

We are committed to building a workforce where everyone feels they belong.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and lived experiences. Diversity strengthens our teams, improves our services and helps us better represent and support the communities we serve.

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and strive to create a workplace that is fair, respectful and accessible to all. We actively work to challenge discrimination, remove barriers and ensure equity throughout our recruitment and employment practices.

If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment or selection process, please let us know - we are happy to support you. Your talent, your potential, and your unique perspective matter here.

Join Us

Ready to take the next step in your career? At BTP, you'll have the opportunity to grow, make a real impact, and be part of something extraordinary.

Find out why BTP could be the perfect fit for you - About Us - British Transport Police

Curious about what life at BTP is really like? Hear directly from our people and discover what makes working here so rewarding. Explore real stories on our blog: Our Stories - British Transport Police

For further information, please contact our Resourcing Team [e-mail].