UAS Flight Ops Lead - Testing, Field Ops & RPIC

Darkhive, Inc; San Antonio (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical plans

100% employer paid dental and vision

Automatic 401k employer contribution

Paid vacation and personal time off

11 Paid holidays

Sick leave

Stock options

Welcoming and friendly work env

Job summary

Darkhive, LLC seeks a Flight Operations Manager to lead the UAS flight test program, field evaluations, and end-user feedback loops. The role sits at the intersection of operations, engineering, and product strategy to ensure safe testing and that operator feedback informs roadmaps.

The ideal candidate will be a hands-on leader capable of serving as Remote Pilot in Command in austere environments and briefing leadership on reliability trends, with onsite work in San Antonio, TX and travel up to

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required or equivalent military/public-safety/uas operational experience.
• Active FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and valid driver’s license.
• 5+ years of professional UAS flight operations experience.
• Experience leading flight test, field operations, or operational evaluation teams.
• Ability to operate outdoors in remote or austere environments with up to 25% travel.

Responsibilities

• Lead UAS flight test events to support product development and validation.
• Manage flight crews, aircraft readiness, test equipment, and mission planning.
• Serve as Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) and enforce FAA regulations and SOPs.
• Collaborate with Engineering and Product teams to define test objectives and data needs.
• Act as primary operations interface with military, public safety, and government stakeholders during field demonstrations.
• Translate operator feedback into actionable engineering and product recommendations.
• Document discrepancies, monitor reliability, and track maintenance and test data.

Skills

Flight operations leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Regulatory compliance

RPIC capability

Risk assessment

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Aviation, Aerospace/Mechanical/Systems Engineering, Robotics, or related discipline

Tools

PX4

ATAK

TAK-based workflows

Mission planning software

Telemetry data analysis

Job description

Darkhive, LLC seeks a Flight Operations Manager to lead the UAS flight test program, field evaluations, and end-user feedback loops. The role sits at the intersection of operations, engineering, and product strategy to ensure safe testing and that operator feedback informs roadmaps.

The ideal candidate will be a hands-on leader capable of serving as Remote Pilot in Command in austere environments and briefing leadership on reliability trends, with onsite work in San Antonio, TX and travel up to