UAS Pilot / Flight Operations Lead

Powerus; United States; On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Powerus is seeking a UAS Pilot / Flight Operations Specialist to drive air demonstrations and operational testing across the United States. You will fly Powerus systems, participate in trials with military and government customers, and work with engineering teams to refine aircraft and capabilities in real-world environments.

The role requires hands-on flight operations, risk assessments, and clear communication with customers.

Qualifications

• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance.
• Able to access and operate from U.S. military installations and government facilities.
• Valid FAA certifications and licenses including Part 107 where applicable.
• Demonstrable UAS flight experience.
• Strong understanding of UAS flight operations and safety.
• Ability to operate professionally around military and government customers.
• Comfortable working outdoors and in field environments.
• Willing and able to travel regularly.
• Able to work independently and make sound decisions during live flight operations.
• Strong communication skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Conduct live UAS flight demonstrations for U.S. military, government, and commercial customers.
• Operate Powerus unmanned aircraft across testing, demonstration, training, and evaluation missions.
• Support flight operations on military installations, ranges, airfields, and other controlled environments.
• Conduct pre-flight planning, risk assessments, airspace reviews, system checks, and post-flight procedures.
• Work closely with engineering and autonomy teams during developmental flight testing.
• Provide structured pilot feedback on aircraft performance, flight controls, autonomy, payloads, ground control systems, and operator experience.
• Support customer evaluations and field trials.
• Assist with customer and operator training.
• Maintain flight logs, aircraft records, checklists, and required operational documentation.
• Troubleshoot aircraft and ground systems in field environments.
• Support mission planning and operational deployment of UAS platforms.
• Maintain a high standard of safety, professionalism, and operational discipline.
• Travel regularly throughout the United States in support of demonstrations and flight operations.

Skills

UAS flight operations

Field operations

Travel readiness

Safety awareness

Education

FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate

Job description

UAS Pilot / Flight Operations Specialist

About Powerus

Powerus is building the next generation of American autonomous systems.

We design, manufacture, integrate, and deploy advanced unmanned and autonomous platforms for defense, national security, public safety, and critical infrastructure applications.

We move fast, build real hardware, and put it in the hands of real operators.

We are expanding our flight operations team and looking for exceptional UAS pilots from military, commercial, FPV, and competitive racing backgrounds.

This is not a desk job.

The Role

As a UAS Pilot / Flight Operations Specialist, you will be one of the people responsible for putting Powerus systems into the air and demonstrating what they can do.

You will conduct flight demonstrations, trials, training, testing, and operational evaluations across the United States, including demonstrations for the U.S. military and other government customers.

You may find yourself flying from a test range one week, supporting a military demonstration the next, and working directly with our engineering team to push a new aircraft or capability through its flight envelope after that.

We are looking for technically capable pilots who are comfortable operating sophisticated unmanned systems in demanding environments and who can represent Powerus professionally in front of military operators, senior government customers, partners, and prospective customers.

What You'll Do

• Conduct live UAS flight demonstrations for U.S. military, government, and commercial customers
• Operate Powerus unmanned aircraft across testing, demonstration, training, and evaluation missions
• Support flight operations on military installations, ranges, airfields, and other controlled environments
• Conduct pre-flight planning, risk assessments, airspace reviews, system checks, and post-flight procedures
• Work closely with engineering and autonomy teams during developmental flight testing
• Provide structured pilot feedback on aircraft performance, flight controls, autonomy, payloads, ground control systems, and operator experience
• Support customer evaluations and field trials
• Assist with customer and operator training
• Maintain flight logs, aircraft records, checklists, and required operational documentation
• Troubleshoot aircraft and ground systems in field environments
• Support mission planning and operational deployment of UAS platforms
• Maintain a high standard of safety, professionalism, and operational discipline
• Travel regularly throughout the United States in support of demonstrations and flight operations

What We're Looking For

We are deliberately open to pilots from different backgrounds.

You may have flown UAS professionally for years. You may have operated military unmanned systems. You may come from the FPV or racing world and have exceptional manual flying ability.

What matters is that you can genuinely fly.

Strong candidates will have experience in one or more of the following:

• Military UAS operations
• Commercial drone operations
• FPV operations
• Experimental or developmental UAS flight testing
• Defense or public safety UAS operations
• Complex or high-performance unmanned aircraft
• Fixed-wing, multirotor, VTOL, or heavy-lift UAS

Required Qualifications

• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance
• Able to access and operate from U.S. military installations and government facilities
• Valid FAA certifications and licenses appropriate to the operations being conducted, including FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate where applicable
• Demonstrable UAS flight experience
• Strong understanding of UAS flight operations and safety
• Ability to operate professionally around military and government customers
• Comfortable working outdoors and in field environments
• Willing and able to travel regularly
• Able to work independently and make sound decisions during live flight operations
• Strong communication skills and attention to detail

Highly Desirable

• Current or former U.S. military UAS operator
• Experience operating Group 2, Group 3, or larger UAS
• Experience with heavy-lift UAS
• Experience with autonomous aircraft or advanced flight-control systems
• Experience conducting military demonstrations or exercises
• Familiarity with DoD range and airspace procedures
• Existing security clearance
• Experience training other pilots or operators
• Technical understanding of aircraft electronics, communications, datalinks, flight controllers, payloads, and ground control systems

Who This Role Is For

We are not looking for someone whose flying experience consists primarily of taking aerial photographs.

We want operators.

Why Powerus

You will not be joining a traditional aerospace company to fly the same established platform for the next five years.

You will work alongside engineers, autonomy specialists, veterans, operators, and defense leaders developing and demonstrating new autonomous systems.

You will fly new aircraft. You will help test new capabilities. You will provide feedback that directly influences the systems we build. And you will demonstrate those systems to some of the most demanding customers in the world.

If you are one of the best pilots in your field, we want to know who you are.

Powerus is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable law. U.S. citizenship and clearance eligibility requirements for this position are based on the nature of the work and applicable U.S. Government contracting, facility access, export-control, and national security requirements.