Pilot

Poseidonaero; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary & equity

Relocation support

Health benefits

6% retirement matching

Flexible PTO

Free lunches & snacks

AI tools & subscriptions

Job summary

Poseidon Aerospace in the San Francisco Bay Area seeks an experienced Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) for its next-generation autonomous cargo aircraft. You will own flights from preflight to postflight and support ground teams to ensure readiness for each mission, balancing safety with rapid test cycles.

The role emphasizes disciplined, repeatable test operations, strong airspace coordination, and clear communication across engineering and operations teams, with opportunities for early-stage

Qualifications

• RPIC experience on UAS/RPAS platforms in test or operational environments.
• FAA Part 107 certification; familiarity with COA processes and experimental aircraft operations.
• FAA Part 61 or Part 141 certificated pilot (Private, Commercial, or ATP) with multi-engine privileges.
• Strong knowledge of airspace coordination, mission planning, and preflight risk assessment.
• Ability to execute disciplined, repeatable test operations in dynamic field environments.
• Clear, structured communicator—comfortable leading briefs/debriefs with mixed engineering/operations audiences.
• Adaptable to evolving aircraft configurations and startup-level operational tempo.

Responsibilities

• Serve as RPIC for Poseidon aircraft during developmental flight testing and demonstrations.
• Execute flight test cards with precision, maintaining awareness of aircraft state, airspace, and test objectives.
• Lead preflight briefings and postflight debriefings with the test team.
• Conduct flight readiness reviews and make go/no-go decisions based on aircraft status, weather, and airspace.
• Maintain and apply SOPs, emergency checklists, and CRM practices on every flight.
• Provide structured debrief reports including anomalies and qualitative flight assessments.
• Support ground operations, range setup, and communications infrastructure for test campaigns.
• Develop and maintain flight test plans, SOPs, and operational documentation.
• Coordinate airspace authorizations, COA applications, and range scheduling.
• Review flight data logs to flag anomalies and provide pilot perspective to engineering teams.
• Help configure and verify aircraft systems prior to flight with avionics/propulsion engineers.
• Contribute to operational concepts for autonomous and remote-piloted missions.

Skills

RPIC experience

FAA Part 107

FAA Part 61/141 cert

Airspace coordination

Mission planning

Risk assessment

Briefing/debriefing

Startup and tempo management

Communication

Education

Aerospace, systems, or mechanical engineering background

Tools

Telemetry systems

GCS interfaces

Autopilot behavior in test configs

Job description

About Poseidon Aerospace:

Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining how the world moves goods. We build and operate full-size autonomous cargo aircraft - capable of carrying two tons of payload over a thousand nautical miles. From remote communities to contested logistics operations, our platforms unlock a new cost curve for air freight, making it faster, cheaper, and accessible anywhere it's needed. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with locations in Washington DC, Oregon, and Maine; we're building something consequential.

As a Pilot at Poseidon Aerospace, you will serve as the Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) for our next-generation autonomous aircraft. Flying is your primary function, you own the aircraft from preflight to post-flight, and when you're not in the air, you're supporting the test team on the ground to make sure the next flight is ready to go.

This role is for pilots first. You bring deep UAS operational experience, sharp situational awareness, and the discipline to run repeatable test operations safely. The engineering curiosity is a bonus, stick time is the foundation.

Flying responsibilities

• Serve as RPIC for all Poseidon aircraft during developmental flight testing and operational demonstrations

• Execute flight test cards with precision, maintaining awareness of vehicle state, airspace, and test objectives throughout each sortie

• Lead preflight briefings and postflight debriefings with the test team

• Conduct flight readiness reviews and make go/no-go decisions based on aircraft status, weather, and airspace conditions

• Maintain and apply SOPs, emergency checklists, and crew resource management practices on every flight

• Provide structured debrief reports including anomalies, out-of-limits observations, and qualitative flight assessment

Ground support responsibilities

When not flying, you'll work alongside the test team to keep operations moving.

• Support ground operations, range setup, and communications infrastructure for test campaigns

• Assist in developing and maintaining flight test plans, SOPs, and operational documentation

• Coordinate airspace authorizations, COA applications, and range scheduling

• Review flight data logs to flag anomalies and provide pilot perspective to engineering teams

• Help configure and verify aircraft systems prior to flight, working alongside avionics and propulsion engineers

• Contribute to the development of operational concepts for autonomous and remote-piloted missions

Required qualifications

• Demonstrated experience as RPIC for UAS or RPAS platforms in operational or test environments

• FAA Part 107 certification; familiarity with COA processes and experimental aircraft operations

• FAA Part 61 or Part 141 certificated pilot (Private, Commercial, or ATP) with multi-engine privileges

• Strong working knowledge of airspace coordination, mission planning, and preflight risk assessment

• Ability to execute disciplined, repeatable test operations in dynamic field environments

• Clear, structured communicator - comfortable leading briefs and debriefs with mixed engineering and operations audiences

• At ease with evolving aircraft configurations and startup-level operational tempo

Bonus points for

• RPIC experience on large or complex UAS platforms (Group 3-5, e.g., Reaper, Global Hawk, or comparable)

• Familiarity with telemetry systems, GCS interfaces, and autopilot behavior in test configurations

• Experience supporting field test campaigns for new or developmental aircraft platforms

• Exposure to flight test instrumentation, data logging, or postflight analysis workflows

• Knowledge of simulation environments used for mission rehearsal or systems testing

• Aerospace, systems, or mechanical engineering background

What you get from us

• Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity

• Relocation support if applicable

• Employee Health Benefit Plans

• 6% Retirement matching

• Flexible PTO

• Free lunches, snacks, and a stocked fridge at our offices

• AI tools and subscriptions