Flight Test Operations Program Manager

Joby Aviation•Marina, CA

1d•$121,500 - $206,100

About The Position

The Flight Test Operations Program Manager owns the execution layer of Joby’s flight test effort, translating long-range test strategy into daily, weekly, and campaign-level plans that keep the flight test fleet safe, productive, and on schedule. The role works in the hangar, on the flight line, and in the program office, partnering with flight test leadership, pilots, engineering, maintenance, safety, systems program managers, the PMO, design engineering, and certification teams. It ensures test events are ready, traceable to FAA requirements, and supported by the right aircraft configuration, personnel, and range resources. The position plans and runs test campaigns, maintains fleet readiness, integrates safety into test activities, supports certification and regulatory coordination, connects flight test execution to broader program reporting, tracks performance metrics, improves processes, and coordinates a lean team of operations staff. The role also supports domestic and international demonstration events.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or a related engineering field, or equivalent practical experience.
At least 7 years of professional experience in flight test, aircraft development, or flight operations, including at least 3 years in program or project management of flight test activities.
Direct experience planning and executing flight test campaigns on experimental or developmental aircraft.
Working knowledge of flight test safety practices, including hazard analysis, risk assessment, and readiness reviews, and of SMS principles.
Understanding of FAA certification pathways, including 14 CFR Part 21 and Part 23/27/25 or powered-lift special class, and how test activities support them.
Proven ability to build and manage detailed schedules and resource plans in a fast-moving environment.
Strong communication skills and ability to align pilots, engineers, technicians, and executives under schedule pressure.
Willingness to work flexible hours, including early mornings and weekends, and travel to remote test sites.

Nice To Haves

Experience with eVTOL, electric propulsion, fly-by-wire, or other novel aircraft architectures.
Background as a flight test engineer, test conductor, test pilot, or flight test operations lead.
Experience with Integrated Master Schedule ownership and PMO-level reporting.
Familiarity with test range operations, telemetry, and real-time data monitoring.
Proficiency with modern scheduling and tracking tools such as Jira or Smartsheet.
PMP or equivalent project management certification.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain near- and mid-term flight test schedules tied to the Integrated Master Schedule, covering aircraft availability, test priorities, crew, range and airspace, and ground resources.
Translate certification and development objectives into executable campaigns with clear entry criteria, resourcing, and success measures.
Coordinate daily flight planning, pre-flight briefings, post-flight debriefings, and rapid issue turnaround between flights.
Communicate prioritization trade-offs when aircraft, weather, crew, or range availability changes.
Coordinate aircraft configuration, modifications, and instrumentation with Flight Test Maintenance, Flight Test Support Engineering, and Instrumentation teams.
Track squawks, engineering dispositions, and design-change incorporation to ensure fixes are installed on the appropriate aircraft before test events.
Manage readiness across conforming and non-conforming fleet configurations and flag configuration risks early.
Partner with Flight Test Safety to complete hazard analyses, risk assessments, and readiness reviews before each test phase.
Enforce go/no-go criteria and support the Flight Test Safety Committee, incident reporting, root-cause investigation, and corrective-action closure.
Reinforce a culture where anyone can stop a test.
Ensure test objectives are traceable to FAA certification requirements and test events follow approved plans, procedures, and conformity requirements.
Coordinate with certification and airworthiness teams on FAA witnessing, data submissions, and test authorization milestones.
Serve as the operational link between flight test and the PMO, ensuring execution status, risks, and resource needs are reflected accurately in program reporting.
Work with the Senior Flight Test Technical Program Manager and Systems TPMs to align operational plans with long-range strategy.
Support domestic and international demonstration events and the flight test teams that run them.
Track and report KPIs including flight hours, test point completion, aircraft availability, turnaround time, schedule adherence, and cost.
Run retrospectives and continuously improve processes, tools, and handoffs as the test fleet and tempo grow.
Mentor and coordinate a lean, high-performing team of coordinators and operations staff.