Air Refueling Operator

Metrea; Temecula (CA); On-site; USD 126,000 - 135,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance options

Dental and vision insurance

Retirement plan eligibility

Enhanced Parental Leave

Subsidized gym membership

Job summary

Metrea is seeking an Air Refueling Operator to join Air Mobility Group (AIRMOB). You will perform pre-flight to post-flight tasks, compute weight and balance, and transfer fuel during flight, ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.

Requires a KC-135 Boom Operator with 10 years' experience, 2000 total hours, FAA Class 2 Medical, U.S. passport, and proficiency with MS Office. Travel up to 50% with deployments to CONUS/OCONUS locations; base pay ranges shown are a good‑faith estimate.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required.
• Minimum 10 years as a KC-135 Boom Operator.
• 2000 total flight hours and 200 IB-EB hours.
• Current FAA Class 2 Medical and US passport required.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

Responsibilities

• Pre-flight, through-flight, and post-flight inspections and documentation.
• Compute and load weight and balance data.
• Load/unload personnel and cargo safely.
• Transfer fuel during flight and perform related equipment checks.
• Maintain SA and CRM throughout all flight phases.
• Adhere to FOPs, GOPs, and safety notices.
• Maintain currencies and knowledge of the MSM KC-135 fleet.

Skills

KC-135 Boom Operator

Flight hours

MS Office

US Passport

FAA Class 2 Medical

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Company Overview

Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.

Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service - spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.

At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack - from the lab to the field - we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Group Overview

Air Mobility Group (AIRMOB)

Air Mobility Group (AIRMOB) is responsible for developing and delivering Metrea’s aerial refueling (AAR) capabilities, ensuring the readiness and operational effectiveness of the tanker fleet. AIRMOB oversees fleet management, maintenance, and airworthiness, working to sustain and enhance refueling operations. It manages the integration of new processes and technologies, ensuring that tanker aircraft remain mission-ready through effective logistics, maintenance oversight, and regulatory compliance. By coordinating across various teams, AIRMOB ensures the fleet meets both current and future operational needs, supporting a range of specialized air mobility missions.

Position Summary

Air Refueling Operators (ARO’s) are aircrew members aboard Metrea Strategic Mobility’s (MSM) tanker aircraft.

What You’ll Do

• Pre-flight, through-flight, and post-flight inspections, checklists, and documentation
• Computing/loading weight and balance data
• Loading/unloading personnel and cargo
• Safely and effectively transfer fuel from MSM tanker aircraft (MPRS, BDA, Boom) to contracted receiver aircraft during flight
• Operational checks of Air Refueling equipment (to include onboard camera/recording systems)
• Maintain Situational Awareness (SA) and use Crew Resource Management (CRM) throughout all phases of flight
• Adhere to company Flight Operation Procedures (FOP’s), Ground Operation Procedures (GOP’s), and Safety Notices
• Maintain all currencies, qualifications, and advanced systems knowledge related to the MSM KC-135 tanker fleet

What You Bring

• High School Diploma or GED
• 10 years as a KC-135 Boom Operator
• 2000 total hours
• 200 IB-EB hours
• Basic skills in Microsoft Office Suite Programs
• Current FAA Class 2 Medical
• Current US Passport

Benefits

• Medical insurance options
• Dental and vision insurance
• Retirement plan eligibility
• Enhanced Parental Leave
• Subsided gym membership/plans through Wellhub

Work Authorization / Security Clearance

• The employee must be a US citizen
• Employees must be able to have and maintain a secret clearance

AAP/EEO Statement

Metrea Special Management LLC (MAM) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

Position Type and Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time/Part-Time position with varying working hours to meet the US government's customer requirements, department and business needs. Exempt Employees must have the ability to be on-call and available, as business needs require. This position includes periodic overseas commitments. Incumbents must be available for deployments of up to 90 days every two years to designated OCONUS locations. Full-Time ARO’s are committed to 15 flight days per calendar month.

Work Environment

This job operates inside a KC-135.

Travel

Travel requirements are 50%

Base Pay Range

The compensation range shown below is a good faith estimate and reflects the expected base pay for this position upon hire. This is just one component of Metrea's overall approach to total rewards and final compensation decisions, including the ultimate salary or hourly rate agreed upon, may vary depending on factors such as job location, job-specific knowledge, skills, experience, and the overall negotiated compensation package. Eligible full-time employees also receive a comprehensive benefits package designed to support their health, wellbeing, and long-term success.

Pay Range: $126,000 USD - $135,000 USD

Our Firmware

At Metrea, our single core value is Rooted in Humility, and our four cornerstone attributes are Entrepreneurial, Systematic, Discerning, and Over-Deliver. These form what we call our Teammate Firmware. Just like technical firmware connects software and hardware, our Firmware is the constant interface between our mission and our people. It defines how we show up, how we work together, and how we solve complex problems.

Our team Firmware creates a web-like, hyper-collaborative, dynamically hierarchical way of working that helps us adapt quickly, communicate openly, and distribute decision-making to where expertise actually lives. It enables groups to self-organize around hard problems, shift fluidly as priorities evolve, and operate with the trust, curiosity, and discipline required in a complex mission space. This foundation allows us to deliver elegant, effective solutions and uphold our purpose: protecting our precious inheritance.