Flight Operations Leader: Strategy & Growth

Socket.dev; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) with company match

Parental leave

On-site gym

Life insurance

Employee Assistance Program

Competitive salary & PTO

Flexible leave options

Job summary

PDW is seeking a senior leader to own and scale its Flight Operations for production, development, and flight-testing activities in Huntsville. You will drive workforce planning, policy, and performance management while ensuring safety and regulatory adherence.

You will develop training and qualification programs for pilots and aviation staff, oversee flight-test planning, and coordinate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program Management to turn flight results into actionable

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in UAS, aviation flight operations, flight testing, or a comparable aerospace operational environment.
• 5+ years leading a flight-operations or flight-test organization with budget/resource management.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field.

Responsibilities

• Own the strategy, capacity, operating model, and development of PDW Flight Operations for flight activities.
• Lead and scale the Flight Operations organization through workforce planning and performance management.
• Govern flight-safety policy, risk controls, emergency procedures, and regulatory compliance.
• Develop pilot qualification, training, and competency evaluation programs.
• Direct flight-test planning, readiness reviews, and execution against test plans.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Product/Program Management to resolve readiness constraints.
• Maintain and release the operational fleet with complete records and configurations.
• Manage flight facilities, airspace authorizations, waivers, and field deployments.
• Own headcount, equipment, schedule, and performance metrics including safety and fleet availability.
• Lead response to incidents and anomalies with root-cause analysis and corrective actions.

Skills

UAS operations

Flight operations leadership

Safety program development

Regulatory compliance

Leadership development

Operational risk management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in aviation, engineering, business, or related discipline

Job description

PDW is seeking a senior leader to own and scale its Flight Operations for production, development, and flight-testing activities in Huntsville. You will drive workforce planning, policy, and performance management while ensuring safety and regulatory adherence.

You will develop training and qualification programs for pilots and aviation staff, oversee flight-test planning, and coordinate with Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, and Program Management to turn flight results into actionable