Test & Development Remote Pilot

Skyports; East Devon; Remote; GBP 100,000 - 125,000

Job description

Your Adventure To The Skies Starts Here

Join an industry pioneer pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. At Skyports, we’re solving complex, real-world problems through cutting-edge technology. As a Test and Development Pilot, you’ll play a key role in transforming the future of drone services and redefining global logistics. An average month may look like:

• Travelling to the USA to perform joint test programs with one of our supplier partners
• Working with our technical teams across our offices to develop new operational procedures and share learnings from operations
• Operating on novel delivery programs to demonstrate industry-leading capabilities to blue-chip customers in markets such as oil and gas

How Can I Be A Part Of The Team?

We’re after experienced UAS operators who live and breathe technology. You won’t just be flying drones; you’ll be part of a team developing solutions that don’t exist anywhere else.

As the industry matures and Skyports operations grow in size and complexity, we are onboarding new UAS platforms to meet the needs of our customers. You will be responsible for working directly with our technology team and partners to test new functionality and develop operational procedures to refine the UAS platform.

As a Test and Development Pilot You Will…

• Collaborate with our technology team and UAS provider’s engineers to expand UAS capabilities and enhance the delivery service.
• Operate advanced UAS platforms and execute test programs to validate system performance.
• Work with technology and regulatory teams to present evidence of safe and well-planned UAS operations to global aviation regulators.
• Ensure operational safety through effective risk assessment, hazard mitigation, and adherence to procedures and checklists.
• Analyse flight data and provide actionable insights for both Skyports and external partners.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical UAS issues, ensuring accurate logging within the Skyports maintenance management system.
• Design mission profiles, coordinate with air traffic control, and adapt to real-time conditions while ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Lead cross-functional teams on various projects, maintaining alignment on safety and project goals.
• Stay up to date with UAS technologies and proactively develop your operational expertise.

Does This Sound Like You?

This role requires a diverse skill set and a passion for technology testing and development. There's no single path or qualification that defines the ideal candidate. Our team members come from various backgrounds, some having transitioned from entirely different industries to UAS operations. If the following describes you, you could be a great fit:

• You are a proven remote pilot having previously worked with large-format UAS platforms, either military or civilian.
• You are not afraid to get your hands dirty and have a passion for tinkering with electronics and internal combustion engines.
• You have a deep understanding of key components of a UAS and are comfortable performing maintenance activities on large platforms in accordance with manufacturer-provided instructions.
• You are used to owning your own work and being held accountable for your tasks.
• You work well within a team where required and understand the importance of distributing tasks between a team.
• You understand the need for robust processes within a safety management system and are able to produce high-quality documentation to enable that.
• You’re an excellent communicator who is capable of handling ambiguity and has a proven track record when it comes to dealing with both internal and external stakeholders.
• You have an eye for identifying the work that needs to get done to reach our goal and are confident operating with a certain degree of autonomy.

Example Background:

1. You’re an ex-military UAS operator capable of handling Group 3 UAS or bigger.
2. You’ve built and crashed a bunch of your own drones, know your way around an internal combustion engine, and love getting your hands dirty.
3. You’ve got an aviation-related degree and have built and maintained something that relies on an engine before yourself.

WHATS IN IT FOR ME

Working with Skyports is different. As well as our standout culture, the work you achieve is groundbreaking, making a difference, and helping us all to be better people in the world in which we live.

If that wasn’t enough, we are a growing business. We have achieved a lot in a short space of time, so you get to join at a time where you can influence, shape, and define what the future of Skyports looks like.

We offer:

• Competitive salaries & out-of-pocket expenses
• Pension
• Amazing attitude to taking holidays throughout the year with generous allowances
• A social work attitude with lots of global travel opportunities.
• Private medical

Skyports is committed to promoting equality and eliminating unlawful discrimination, and we are aiming to achieve diversity in the range of people we involve. You do not have to answer any diversity questions should you not wish to, and we understand that some of this information is personal and sensitive in nature. However, gathering this data helps us to know if we are succeeding in involving different groups of people and to change our approach if some groups are not represented.