UAS Safety Test Pilot

Strativ Group; Lampeter; On-site; GBP 58,000 - 77,000; Full time

Job summary

Strativ Group in Llanbedr, Wales is seeking an experienced UAS Safety Pilot-Technician to join the Maneuver Dominance team. You will fly, build, fit cameras and sensors, and prepare aircraft for operation. You’ll configure Cube Orange and Pixhawk, maintain flight records, and support BVLOS approvals with UK CAA SORA.

You will travel up to 25–50% and work flexibly, including weekends, to ensure mission readiness and safety across Group 3 fixed-wing and VTOL operations.

Qualifications

• Hands-on experience building, maintaining and hand-flying Group 3 UAS.
• Cube Orange / Pixhawk integration, setup and troubleshooting.
• Solid understanding of flight modes (FbW-A, FbW-B, manual/stabilise).
• Experience with Mission Planner and/or QGroundControl.
• UK CAA Specific Category: SORA, Operational Safety Cases and BVLOS.
• Background in electronics, avionics, mechanical engineering or robotics (apprenticeship or equivalent).
• Eligible for UK Security Check (SC) clearance.
• Willingness to travel 25–50% and work flexible hours, including weekends.

Responsibilities

• Hand-flying as manual safety pilot on multi-UAS fixed-wing and VTOL operations, both VLOS and BVLOS.
• Building, integrating and maintaining the aircraft, including camera and sensor fitting.
• Setting up and troubleshooting Cube Orange and Pixhawk flight controllers, including firmware and parameters.
• Writing SORA-based risk assessments and managing Specific Category authorisations.
• Keeping flight logs and technical records accurate and up to date.
• Working closely with engineering, flight test and project teams, and giving honest feedback on aircraft performance.
• Helping newer operators get up to speed on our standards and safety culture.

Skills

Hands-on UAS operations

Manual hand-flying

Aircraft building and maintenance

Education

HNC/HND or equivalent practical experience

Electronics/avionics/mechanical background

Tools

Cube Orange

Pixhawk

Mission Planner

QGroundControl

Job description

UAS Safety Pilot-Technician (Fixed-Wing / VTOL)

Llanbedr, Wales (onsite)

£58,000 to £77,000, depending on experience

About the role

Our flight test site in Llanbedr is busy and getting busier. We’ve just grown to 15 Group 3 fixed-wing VTOL aircraft, and we’re looking for an experienced Safety Pilot-Technician to join the Maneuver Dominance team and help us keep up.

This is a proper hands-on job. You’ll be flying the aircraft, but you’ll also be the person building them, fitting the cameras and sensors, and getting them ready to go. If you’re as happy with a flight controller parameter list as you are with a stick in your hand, we’d love to hear from you.

What you’ll be doing

• Hand-flying as manual safety pilot on multi-UAS fixed-wing and VTOL operations, both VLOS and BVLOS
• Building, integrating and maintaining the aircraft, including camera and sensor fitting
• Setting up and troubleshooting Cube Orange and Pixhawk flight controllers, including firmware and parameters
• Writing SORA-based risk assessments and managing our Specific Category authorisations
• Keeping flight logs and technical records accurate and up to date
• Working closely with engineering, flight test and project teams, and telling us honestly how the aircraft are performing
• Helping newer operators get up to speed on our standards and safety culture

What you’ll bring

• Real hands‑on experience building, maintaining and hand‑flying Group 3 fixed‑wing or FW VTOL UAS
• Cube Orange / Pixhawk integration, setup and troubleshooting
• A solid understanding of flight modes (FbW-A, FbW-B, manual/stabilise)
• Experience with Mission Planner and/or QGroundControl
• UK CAA Specific Category experience: SORA, Operational Safety Cases and BVLOS
• A background in electronics, avionics, mechanical engineering or robotics (HNC/HND, apprenticeship or equivalent practical experience)
• Eligibility for UK SC clearance (you’ll need to be a UK national or eligible for Security Check)
• Willingness to travel 25 to 50% of the time and work flexible hours, including weekends

Nice to have

• 5+ years as a manual safety pilot
• Evaluator Aircrew or trials qualification
• Experience operating in maritime, mountainous or urban environments

Who will thrive here

You stay calm when plans change, you keep meticulous records, and you like working alongside people from different disciplines. You care more about flying safely than about job titles.

If that sounds like you, we’d love to hear from you.