Operational Test Pilot & Exercise Integration Lead

Hermeus•Atlanta, GA

12d

About The Position

Hermeus is a venture-backed defense aviation company developing high-speed aircraft through rapid hardware iteration. The Flight Operations team builds and manages the government relationships and processes that enable company flight activity, working with DoD, FAA, FCC, airfields, ranges, and internal teams. The Operational Test Pilot & Exercise Integration Lead serves as the operator's voice within Hermeus and the company's representative to operational customers. The role pilots aircraft, plans and leads flight missions, integrates vehicles into live ranges and joint exercises, and coordinates with operational units, range authorities, and test organizations. The lead translates operational intent into executable test plans and uses flight-test results to inform capability development. The position also owns program management for Flight Test as a Service engagements, from customer scoping through flight execution and data delivery. It calls for tactical aviation experience, complex mission leadership, and the ability to work across flight operations, customers, control rooms, and engineering.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in engineering, physics, or a related technical field.
FAA Commercial Pilot Certificate or ATP with 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 or tactical aviator with 500+ total flight hours, including 300+ hours in fighter or high-performance aircraft.
Demonstrated experience as a mission commander, flight lead, instructor pilot, or evaluator pilot.
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.
Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. security clearance.
Must be a U.S. person as defined under ITAR/EAR 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 company 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 building relationships with sponsoring units and exercise planning teams, guiding Hermeus through the planning cycle, and leading on-site execution.
Build and maintain operational relationships with 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 mission plans, flight cards, crew procedures, checklists, flight manuals, safety-of-flight documentation, and hazard analyses, and drive them through internal and external review.
Own program management for Flight Test as a Service engagements, including customer scoping, schedule and milestone tracking, cross-functional coordination, deliverable and data-product management, and customer communication through closeout.
Lead and chair 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 scale.
Challenge existing processes to compress planning cycles, accelerate approval timelines, and increase flight rate.