Operational Test Pilot & Exercise Integration Lead

Hermeus•Atlanta, GA

1d•$187,000 - $253,000

About The Position

Hermeus is a venture-backed defense aviation company focused on rapid iterative prototyping and developing high-speed aircraft. Its Flight Operations team manages government relationships and processes that enable company flight activity, including flight approvals, airfield and range coordination, and fleet insight for internal teams and government partners. The Operational Test Pilot & Exercise Integration Lead serves as the operator's voice within Hermeus and as the company's representative to warfighters. The role pilots aircraft, plans and leads missions, integrates vehicles into live ranges and joint exercises, and coordinates with operational units, range authorities, and test organizations. It translates operational intent into executable test plans and flight-test results into capabilities relevant to the force. The position also owns program management for Flight Test as a Service engagements, from customer scoping through flight execution and data delivery.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field.
FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate or ATP with an instrument rating.
Current FAA Class 2 medical certificate and ability to maintain it for the duration of assigned flight duties.
Current or former military fighter/tactical aviator with 500 or more total flight hours, including 300 or more hours in fighter or high-performance aircraft.
Demonstrated experience as a mission commander, flight lead, instructor pilot, or evaluator pilot.
At least 8 years of combined operational aviation and program or project management experience, including leadership of complex, multi-organization efforts.
Hands-on experience planning and executing missions on U.S. military ranges, including range scheduling, airspace coordination, and safety-of-flight processes.
Experience participating in or planning joint or service-level exercises or large-force test events.
Experience working with government customers, such as DoD program offices, test organizations, or operational units.
Eligibility to obtain and maintain an active U.S. security clearance.
Must be a U.S. person as defined under ITAR/EAR or otherwise eligible for access to export-controlled technical data.

Nice To Haves

Graduate of USAF Test Pilot School, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, or an equivalent test pilot or flight test engineer program.
Graduate of USAF Weapons School, TOPGUN, or an equivalent tactics or exercise-planning pipeline.
Developmental or operational test experience on a new or modified air vehicle.
Experience operating uncrewed aircraft, including crewed/uncrewed teaming.
Experience coordinating with the FAA on airspace, certificates of authorization, or special use airspace.
Master's degree in an engineering or technical field.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including direct experience negotiating technical deliverables or scope.
Excellent negotiation, conflict-resolution, and leadership skills.
Comfort briefing senior military and government stakeholders.
Passion for rapid aviation development and ability to thrive in a fast-paced, autonomously driven startup environment.

Responsibilities

Serve as a pilot for Hermeus flight operations, including developing and executing normal, abnormal, and emergency procedures.
Lead mission planning and execution for flight tests and demonstrations, including profile design, go/no-go criteria, crew and control-room coordination, contingency and abort planning, and post-flight debriefs.
Own range and airspace integration by coordinating with range control, airspace managers, airfield operations, and test organizations to secure and protect flight windows and deconflict activity.
Lead integration and coordination for joint and service exercises, including relationship-building with sponsoring units and exercise planning teams, managing participation through the planning cycle, and leading on-site execution.
Build and maintain relationships with operational squadrons, test squadrons, range leadership, and government program offices.
Provide the operator's perspective to engineering and program teams, influencing vehicle design, mission systems, concepts of employment, test plans, and mission profiles.
Develop and maintain operational products, including mission plans, flight cards, crew procedures, checklists, flight manuals, safety-of-flight documentation, and hazard analyses, and drive them through internal and external review.
Manage Flight Test as a Service engagements, including customer scoping, schedule and milestone tracking, cross-functional coordination, deliverables and data products, and customer communication through closeout.
Lead readiness, test-readiness, and safety reviews with internal teams and external partners, ensuring deliverables are timely and meet customer expectations.
Mentor and grow the operations and mission-planning function as the team and flight rate expand.
Challenge existing processes to compress planning cycles, accelerate approval timelines, and increase flight rate.