Chief Pilot

HELISERVICE USA LLC • North Kingstown, RI

1d • $145,000 - $200,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Chief Pilot is a required management official under 14 CFR § 119.69 and reports to the Director of Operations (DO). In support of the DO's exercise of operational control under 14 CFR § 135.77, the Chief Pilot holds direct responsibility for the standardization, currency, competency, and airmanship of HSUSA's pilot workforce across all bases and mission types. The Chief Pilot owns the flight operations standards, the pilot training, testing, and checking program, ensuring every pilot is trained and checked to HSUSA's FAA-approved standards and Operations Specifications (OpSpecs).

This is a working leadership role. The Chief Pilot will personally hold and maintain FAA approval as a company check pilot and flight instructor on the AW169 and remain a current line pilot, leading standardization from the front line. Above all, the Chief Pilot sets the tone for a strong, just safety culture in which the safety of the operation is the number one priority, and in which crews are trusted, supported, and empowered to make good decisions and to report hazards without fear of reprisal.

Requirements

• Hold at least a commercial pilot certificate with appropriate ratings (rotorcraft–helicopter).
• Hold a rotorcraft–helicopter instrument rating.
• Be qualified to serve as pilot in command in at least one aircraft used in HSUSA's operation (the Leonardo AW169).
• Either: As a person becoming a Chief Pilot for the first time ever, have at least 3 years of experience within the past 6 years as pilot in command of an aircraft operated under Part 121 or Part 135; or As a person with previous Chief Pilot experience, have at least 3 years of experience as pilot in command of an aircraft operated under Part 121 or Part 135.
• Qualification and Administrator (POI) approval under 14 CFR §§ 135.337 and 135.339 for the AW169, including satisfactory completion of the applicable check pilot training.
• Qualification and approval under 14 CFR §§ 135.338 and 135.340 for the AW169, including satisfactory completion of the applicable instructor training.
• Recency of experience and line currency under 14 CFR § 135.247 sufficient to exercise check pilot (aircraft) and flight instructor (aircraft) privileges.
• A Class I medical certificate.
• Proficiency with, or ability to quickly learn, HSUSA's operational and training-tracking systems, electronic flight bag (EFB) tools, the Communications Center workflow, and the company SMS/flight-data (HFDM) reporting environment.
• Authorization to work in the U.S.
• Ability to travel to company bases.
• Background / DOT requirements as applicable.
• Ability to obtain and maintain FAA check pilot and flight instructor approvals and the required medical certification.

Nice To Haves

• 10 years of helicopter operational experience.
• Significant pilot-in-command time in the AW169 or a comparable twin-engine IFR helicopter.
• Experience in one or more of HSUSA's core mission sets: HAA, offshore/Hoist Operations/Offshore support (Along with Offshore IFR), external load (Part 133), NVG, and/or SAR-style operations.
• Prior experience as a Part 135 check pilot and/or flight instructor and building or revising training curricula.
• Working knowledge of HeliOffshore and IOGP standards.
• Experience with FAA and/or customer audits.
• Strong standardization discipline and a demonstrated commitment to just culture and non-punitive safety reporting.

Responsibilities

• Support the DO's exercise of operational control under § 135.77 by ensuring pilots and flight operations conform to HSUSA's FAA-authorized OpSpecs, FAA-approved manuals, deviations, and exemptions.
• Serve as the company's principal pilot-standards authority across all bases and mission types.
• Work directly with the Director of Operations to maintain the flight-operations content of the training manual and pilot-facing SOPs in current, compliant condition, and ensure pilots can access and understand applicable requirements.
• Serve as a primary company point of contact to the Principal Operations Inspector (POI) on pilot qualification, training, and checking matters.
• Any additional duties assigned by the Director of Operations.
• Work alongside the Director of Operations to establish, publish, and enforce standardized procedures, callouts, and mission profiles across all bases, mission types, and crews.
• Draft, review, and refine SOPs and mission-specific procedures (offshore IFR/HEDA, hoist/HEC, NVG, Part 133 external load, HAA, RRS), maintaining alignment with the company manuals.
• Ensure procedures are clear, enforceable, and practically usable by line pilots.
• Own and continuously improve the pilot training program: initial, transition, upgrade, differences, and recurrent training. Along with individual trainings such as: NVG, SPIFR, Line Training, Offshore IFR, CRM, TEM, Cargo Hook, and HEC.
• Design and oversee scenario-based training for IFR/offshore, NVG, hoist/HEC, external load, and HAA operations.
• Work with HSUSA’s Director of Training to ensure required testing and checking is scheduled and completed.
• Identify training gaps from HFDM trends, safety reports, and check results, and build targeted recurrent training.
• Coordinate outsourced/simulator training (e.g., Part 142 providers) and ensure alignment with company needs.
• Personally conduct pilot training, testing, and checking on the AW169 as an approved check pilot and flight instructor, within the limits of FAA approvals and independence requirements.
• Mentor, standardize, and calibrate other company check pilots and instructors to ensure consistent, repeatable standards.
• Maintain accurate crewmember training and qualification records in accordance with § 135.63.
• Build and sustain a proactive, just safety culture in which the safety of the operation is always the first priority and crews are trusted, supported, and free to raise concerns without fear of reprisal.
• Reinforce anti-pressure, go/no-go decision-making and crew resource management (CRM) across all mission types.
• Work closely with the Safety Manager and the SMS, contributing to hazard identification, risk assessment, event review, and root-cause analysis.
• Work with the DO to recruit, hire, onboard, and retain qualified pilots to meet operational and customer demand.
• Lead and develop the pilot workforce.
• Provide clear performance expectations and feedback, and deliver corrective standardization when required.
• Maintain personal line currency and mission qualification on the AW169 sufficient to lead standardization from the front lines and to exercise check pilot and instructor privileges.
• Fly line and mission sorties as operationally appropriate, without compromising management, training, and oversight responsibilities. Will be required to fly a minimum of 6 shifts a month (Training/Line/Ground Training).
• Work with the Director of Operations to maintain assigned Operations Manuals and mission manuals in current condition and accessible to pilots, coordinating changes with the DO and POI.
• Ensure flight publications and pilot-facing references are received on time, distributed to the bases, and carried in each aircraft as required.

Benefits

• group medical, dental, and vision insurance
• voluntary coverage options such as life, short-term disability, accident, and cancer insurance
• company's 401(k) plan
• Paid time off (PTO)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed