Drone Pilot / Technician

Aitan•Mahwah, NJ

4d•Onsite

About The Position

AITAN is hiring a hands-on Drone Pilot / Technician for its US engineering team. The role combines FPV flight testing, aircraft maintenance, hardware and software integration, and R&D. The position is based on-site at AITAN’s test facility in Mahwah, New Jersey, with regular travel to field and flight sites. The technician will pilot FPV aircraft in manual/acro mode for testing, integration, and live demonstrations; execute structured flight test plans; document results; and communicate aircraft behavior and performance findings to engineers. On non-flying days, the role contributes to R&D through prototype builds, hardware/software integration, bench testing, aircraft tuning, repair, and maintenance. The work includes reviewing DVR footage and flight logs and supporting field operations and demonstrations. This is a hands-on testing and R&D role, not a cinematic or GPS-assisted camera-drone position. Finalists complete a practical flight assessment and meet with the team. Compensation is a base salary of $80,000–$100,000.

Requirements

Expert FPV flying in full manual/acro mode, using goggles and a spotter or visual-line-of-sight protocol.
At least 2 years of hands-on FPV experience; professional, serious hobbyist, competitive racing, or freestyle experience counts.
Provide proof of flying skill with an application, such as a link to flight footage (DVR, freestyle, or racing) or race results.
Comfort building and repairing 5-inch-class and similar quadcopters.
FAA Part 107 certificate, or willingness to obtain it within 90 days; the company will cover it.
U.S. citizenship.
Ability to work outdoors in varying weather and travel to field/test sites.

Nice To Haves

Military experience, especially UAS operations such as Army 15W, SUAS operator, Raven, Puma, Switchblade, or similar.
Active or former FPV racing or freestyle experience.
Experience flying in degraded conditions, including no GPS, contested RF, and night operations.
Soldering and electronics troubleshooting skills, with INAV/ExpressLRS familiarity.
Instruction or demonstration experience, including teaching others to fly and representing a product live.

Responsibilities

Pilot FPV aircraft in manual/acro mode for test flights, system integration, and customer demonstrations.
Execute structured flight test plans and document results.
Observe and report performance issues in aircraft, radio links, and video systems.
Contribute to R&D at the Mahwah test facility through prototype builds, hardware/software integration, bench testing, and iteration with engineering based on flight-test findings.
Build, repair, and maintain quadcopters, including soldering, component swaps, firmware configuration, and tuning.
Review DVR footage and flight logs to provide engineering feedback.
Support field operations and demonstrations, including travel to off-site locations.