Flight Test Operations Lead / Manager

nerostechnologies; Torrance (CA); On-site; USD 132,000 - 184,000; Full time

Job summary

Neros is a defense technology company rebuilding America's drone industrial base. We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at startup speed, and built at massive scale.

Neros is hiring a Flight Test Operations Lead/Manager to run the operations side of Flight Testing. You will own scheduling, staffing, facilities, and logistics for a team of pilots and technicians executing test flights on experimental FPV drones.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience leading teams in UAS, film, military, aviation, or similarly complex operations.
• Ownership of scheduling and resource allocation across multiple teams.
• Hands on ability to fly drones, or experience managing drone pilots.
• Experience managing physical assets such as facilities, vehicles, and field infrastructure.
• Willingness to stay overnight at test facilities occasionally during the week.
• Strong written communication and comfort in a fast moving environment.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the flight test schedule across concurrent campaigns, balancing pilot, technician, aircraft, and range availability against engineering commitments.
• Build and manage the flight test operations team, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and career progression.
• Be responsible for flight test facilities, vehicles, and field equipment; lead requirements, timeline, and development of future test sites.
• Plan multi week testing deployments including travel, logistics, site coordination.
• Improve the repeatability, documentation, and throughput of test operations over time.

Skills

Leadership

Scheduling

Resource allocation

Drone piloting

Facilities management

Overnight travel

Job description

Who we are

Neros is a defense technology company rebuilding America's drone industrial base. We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at startup speed, and built at massive scale. Our team culture is fast, hands-on, and obsessed with closing the gap between design and deployment.

As drones transform the character of warfare, Neros is delivering the systems the West needs to compete on the modern battlefield and deter the adversaries of democracy. We're hiring engineers, operators, and builders who want to move fast, take on extreme ownership, and get capability into the hands of warfighters in months, not years.

What you will be doing

Neros is hiring a Flight Test Operations Lead/Manager to run the operations side of Flight Testing. You will own scheduling, staffing, facilities, and logistics for a team of pilots and technicians executing test flights on experimental FPV drones. You own Flight Test throughput - Success means more flight hours and tests per week with less workload and stress on the flight teams. Collect data on where time goes, find the bottlenecks, and fix them.

Responsibilities

• Own and maintain the flight test schedule across concurrent campaigns, balancing pilot, technician, aircraft, and range availability against engineering commitments
• Build and manage the flight test operations team, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and career progression
• Be responsible for flight test facilities, vehicles, and field equipment. Lead requirements, timeline, and development of future test sites
• Plan multi week testing deployments including travel, logistics, site coordination
• Improve the repeatability, documentation, and throughput of test operations over time

You should have the following

• 5+ years of experience leading teams in UAS, film, military, aviation, or similarly complex operations
• Demonstrated ownership of scheduling and resource allocation across multiple teams
• Hands on ability to fly drones, or experience managing and directing drone pilots
• Experience managing physical assets such as work facilities, vehicles, and field infrastructure
• Willingness to stay overnight at test facilities occasionally during the week
• Strong written communication and comfort in a fast moving environment

Nice to have

• FPV acro piloting / In depth FPV drone knowledge
• Experience in UAS flight test operations
• Experience in logistics
• Prior military experience
• Engineering background, or experience working directly with engineering organizations
• Facility management or standing up undeveloped land

US Salary Range

• $131,500 - $184,000 USD

The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Neros' total compensation package.

We're an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.