Drone Pilot: Reality Capture & Digital Delivery

Jacobs; The Villages (FL); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 104,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Stock purchase program

Unlimited PPTO

7 paid holidays

Caregiver leave

Job summary

Jacobs seeks a technically focused Drone Pilot to safely transform aerial data into practical project information across design, construction, commissioning, and operations. This role combines UAS discipline with BIM/VDC knowledge and a collaborative, proactive mindset to deliver dependable deliverables and optimize outcomes.

The ideal candidate thrives in construction and infrastructure contexts, working with project teams to define flight objectives, accuracy targets, and deliverable formats

Qualifications

• Currently holds FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and operates drones commercially.
• 3+ years of experience operating commercial drones, preferably in construction, engineering, surveying, industrial, infrastructure, or facility environments.
• Experience developing flight plans and executing UAS operations around active construction or industrial sites.
• Working knowledge of photogrammetry, orthomosaics, 3D meshes, point clouds, digital elevation models, and volumetric data.
• Understanding of construction sequencing, BIM/VDC coordination, design documentation, and field verification workflows.
• Experience with survey control, coordinate systems, georeferencing, and accuracy requirements.
• Experience processing, validating, publishing, and archiving large imagery and reality‑capture datasets.
• Ability to interpret construction drawings, BIM models, site plans, and project schedules.
• Strong safety awareness and ability to work within formal project and client compliance programs.
• Excellent communication, organization, documentation, and stakeholder‑engagement skills.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct commercial drone flights in accordance with FAA regulations and project requirements.
• Maintain pilot credentials, aircraft registrations, operating records, pre‑flight documentation, and flight logs.
• Perform pre‑flight inspections and verify aircraft, batteries, sensors, firmware, remote‑controller settings, and data storage capacity.
• Operate drones safely in active construction, industrial, and data center environments with proper separation distances.
• Coordinate flight windows, airspace restrictions, site access, security requirements, and stakeholder constraints.
• Use visual observers, spotters, and site communication protocols as required.
• Respond appropriately to changing weather, site conditions, equipment issues, and other operational risks.
• Process and quality‑check drone imagery and reality‑capture data using approved software and workflows.
• Produce orthomosaic maps, 3D models, point clouds, and site documentation packages.
• Publish deliverables to Autodesk Construction Cloud, GIS platforms, or other designated environments.
• Maintain organized project archives and ensure data traceability.

Skills

Communication

Safety awareness

Documentation

Stakeholder engagement

Education

FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate

Tools

DJI Pilot 2

Autodesk Construction Cloud

Pix4D

DroneDeploy

ReCap Pro

Navisworks

Revit

Civil 3D

ArcGIS

Job description

Jacobs seeks a technically focused Drone Pilot to safely transform aerial data into practical project information across design, construction, commissioning, and operations. This role combines UAS discipline with BIM/VDC knowledge and a collaborative, proactive mindset to deliver dependable deliverables and optimize outcomes.

The ideal candidate thrives in construction and infrastructure contexts, working with project teams to define flight objectives, accuracy targets, and deliverable formats