Adjunct Faculty- (UMS) Unmanned Systems

Virginia Community Colleges; Hampton (VA); On-site; USD 1,075,905 - 1,797,768; Part time

Job summary

Virginia Peninsula Community College is seeking adjunct faculty to teach up to 12 credit hours in fall and spring and up to 8 in summer. Courses include Ground School, Manual Flight, Photography and Videography, Maintenance, and Autonomous Flight. Instruction may be day, evening, or weekend, on Hampton or HT campuses.

Only part‑time adjunct appointments with no guaranteed continued employment. Candidates should hold FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification and be able to support student learning

Qualifications

• FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification required.
• Ability to plan, fly, manage crew, collect and analyze data.
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills for students and staff.
• Experience teaching adults and online/hybrid modalities.

Responsibilities

• Design and deliver instruction for day and evening classes.
• Assess and grade student work and maintain records.
• Maintain on-campus presence and timely communication with students.
• Support flight instruction labs and mission planning activities.

Job description

Work Location: Hampton – 650

Hiring Range: $781–$1,305 per credit hour

Emergency/Essential Personnel: No

EEO Category: I‑Faculty

Full Time or Part Time: Part Time

Telework options: Telework options are subject to change based on business needs.

Work Schedule: Varies based upon the needs of the student body

Sensitive Position: No

Job Description

Virginia Peninsula Community College is a two-year institution of higher education established as a part of a statewide system of community colleges. It primarily serves the residents of the cities of Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, and Williamsburg, and the counties of James City and York.

Virginia Peninsula seeks faculty to teach up to 12 credit hours in the fall and spring semesters and/or up to 8 credit hours during the summer semester. The teaching load is based on student enrollment and staffing needs. Applicants will be part of a standing pool which the College will draw on as scheduling needs dictate. The adjunct faculty appointment contains no guarantee of continued employment. Instruction may be during the day, evening, or weekend.

The position may teach either on the Hampton and/or the HT campuses. The position will teach courses as Ground School (UMS 107), Manual Flight (UMS 111), Photography and Videography (UMS 125), Maintenance (UMS 177), and Autonomous Flight (UMS 211).

Essential Functions

• Design and delivery of instruction for day and evening classes
• Responsible for student assessment and grading
• Maintains adequate on‑campus presence
• Provides timely communication with students, staff, and administrators of the College

Special Assignments

May be required to perform other duties as assigned. May be required to assist the agency or state government generally in the event of an emergency declaration by the Governor.

Qualifications

• Currently possess FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification. Knowledgeable of necessary pre‑flight training required.
• Perform the operations typical of a Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) required to support missions e.g. plan, fly, crew management, collect data, maintain, repair, select sensors, and analyze data.
• Understand the requirements of operating an sUAS in FAA controlled airspace and other airspace as required. Basic maintenance and sensor integration on fixed wing and multirotor platforms.
• Requirements for effective service‑learning missions to support the flight instruction labs including interactions with customers and teammates.
• Troubleshooting electrical and mechanical issues with fixed wing and multirotor platforms. Safe and effective emergency recovery of manual and autonomous flights.
• Passion for Unmanned Systems Commitment to a student‑centered philosophy in support of academic excellence for diverse groups of learners.
• Excellent interpersonal skills in communication with students, colleagues, staff, and administrators as an individual or as a part of a team.
• Willingness to serve the needs of traditional and non‑traditional students from a variety of backgrounds and age groups.
• Ability to modify when appropriate, instructional methods and strategies to meet diverse student needs. Plan and organize instruction in ways that maximize documented student learning.
• Adopt methods that fairly measure progress toward student learning outcomes.
• Evaluate student performance fairly and consistently and return student work promptly to promote maximum learning. Maintain accurate records of student progress and submit final grade rosters to division administrator each semester according to established deadlines.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience and/or strong interest in teaching and inspiring adult learners to fulfill the College’s mission to change lives and empower students to succeed.
• Must be able to work at all campuses.
• Associate’s degree in science, engineering, technology, art, photography, videography, fine arts or related field.

Additional Considerations

• Teaching experience in online, hybrid, and/or traditional face to face teaching modalities. Degree or higher in any field of science, engineering, or technology.
• Community college teaching experience.
• Demonstrated proficiency and experience in using instructional technologies and learning management systems (e.g., Canvas) with ability to use technology to enhance teaching and educational experience.
• Demonstrated ability to measure, assess, and align student outcomes within courses or programs.
• Professional experience with sUAS operations.
• Demonstrate ability to use mission planning and ground control software such as Mission Planner, Drone Deploy, QGroundControl and others.
• Plan and implement manual and autonomous sUAS missions to collect and analyze data.
• Understanding of the requirements and demonstrating the ability to serve as RPIC for manual and autonomous sUAS missions specific to flight testing, sensor testing, and other missions.
• Commercial and custom software and methods for conducting autonomous flights for missions related to mapping, inspection/videography, modeling, precision agriculture, and others.
• Proficient in Adobe Creative Cloud applications such as Photoshop and Adobe Premiere Pro.
• Associate’s degree in science, engineering, technology, art, photography, videography, fine arts or related field.

Operation of a State Vehicle

Yes

Supervises Employees

No

Required Travel

Minimal

EEO Statement

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, political affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or other non‑merit factors.

ADA Statement

The Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer and complies with the Americans with Disabilities Acts (ADA and ADAAA), to provide reasonable accommodation to applicants in need of access to the application, interviewing, and selection processes when requested.

E-Verify Statement

VCCS uses E-Verify to check employee eligibility to work in the United States. You will be required to complete an I-9 form and provide documentation of your identity for employment purposes.