Senior UAS Flight Test Lead (Hivemind Autonomy)

Shield; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 74,000 - 113,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Staff UAS Flight Test Operator to lead system-level flight test campaigns for Hivemind Mission Autonomy across diverse UAS platforms. You will plan, execute, and document missions, ensuring safety and operational readiness of aircraft, payloads, and control systems.

You will validate pre-release HivemindSDK versions, analyze results, and provide feedback to product and software teams. A Part 107 certificate and extensive UAS experience are required.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience operating, configuring, and maintaining Group 1/2 UAS platforms in test, military, commercial, or operational environments.
• Experience leading complex UAS flight operations, including mission planning, crew briefings/debriefings, and real-time coordination.
• Strong knowledge of COTS UAS hardware, autopilot systems, payloads, ground control stations, and test equipment.
• Experience maintaining configuration control across aircraft, payloads, software, and test infrastructure.
• Experience developing SOPs, checklists, risk assessments, and operational processes.
• Working knowledge of National Airspace System operations and flight authorization requirements.
• FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate holder.

Responsibilities

• Lead system-level flight test campaigns for Hivemind Mission Autonomy across multi-rotor, fixed-wing, and external UAS platforms.
• Plan and conduct missions per test plans and safety procedures.
• Operate, inspect, and maintain UAS, payloads, and ground control systems across lab, ground, and flight-test environments.
• Test pre-release HivemindSDK versions validating features, integrations, and autonomy capabilities.
• Develop and execute customer workflows to assess SDK functionality and reliability.
• Document results, defects, and regressions; provide actionable feedback to multiple teams.
• Lead risk assessments, crew briefings, launch and recovery prep, and post-flight debriefs.
• Monitor telemetry, collect flight data, and support anomaly investigation.
• Establish SOPs and test procedures; mentor personnel and communicate test status and risks.

Skills

UAS operations

Flight operations leadership

Autopilot systems

Payload integration

SOP development

NAS operations

FAA Part 107

Tools

ArduPilot

PX4

QGroundControl

Mission Planner

Linux

MAVLink

ROS/ROS2

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a Staff UAS Flight Test Operator to lead system-level flight test campaigns for Hivemind Mission Autonomy across diverse UAS platforms. You will plan, execute, and document missions, ensuring safety and operational readiness of aircraft, payloads, and control systems.

You will validate pre-release HivemindSDK versions, analyze results, and provide feedback to product and software teams. A Part 107 certificate and extensive UAS experience are required.