UAS Pilot/Flight Test & Mission Operator

CHAOS Industries•El Segundo, CA

12h•$130,000 - $180,000•Onsite

About The Position

The UAS Pilot/Flight Test & Mission Operator supports the full lifecycle of unmanned aircraft operations at CHAOS Industries, from development, verification, validation, and production acceptance testing through fielded customer missions, demonstrations, and operational deployments. Based in El Segundo, California, this hands-on role combines structured test-range work with customer-facing mission support and field deployments. The operator flies Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 UAS across aircraft types and propulsion systems, including fixed-wing, VTOL, multirotor, turbine, and electric ducted fan aircraft. Depending on qualifications and assignment, the operator may serve as Remote Pilot in Command, Pilot at the Controls, Ground Control Station Operator, Visual Observer, Test Conductor, Payload/Sensor Operator, Range Safety Observer, Mission Coordinator, or Test Technician. The role works closely with customers and engineering teams to integrate CHAOS systems into existing infrastructure and ensure reliability in real-world conditions. It also has direct responsibility for aircraft readiness, including building, maintaining, troubleshooting, and repairing airframes and subsystems, performing composite structural repairs, and documenting configuration and repair work. The position requires typically 50% or more travel to customer and test sites, both within and outside the continental United States. Work takes place at flight-test ranges, airports, laboratories, manufacturing facilities, and remote or outdoor field sites in variable weather and terrain. The operator may work early mornings, evenings, nights, weekends, or extended test and mission windows, and travel for multi-day campaigns. The role includes standing, walking, kneeling, or remaining at a control station for extended periods; lifting or carrying up to 50 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation; handling tools, aircraft components, batteries, computers, and ground-support equipment; and wearing required personal protective equipment. CHAOS Industries describes itself as a defense company founded in 2022, with 350 employees across five global offices. The listed base salary range is $130,000–$180,000, excluding bonus, equity, and benefits. The company offers medical, dental, and vision benefits fully paid by the company; a 401(k) with a 50% company match up to 6% of pay; FSA, HSA, life insurance, free daily lunch, no-meeting Fridays, unlimited PTO, casual dress, pre-IPO stock options, relocation assistance, and annual bonuses described as coming soon.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Current FAA Remote Pilot Certificate with a Small UAS Rating, or ability to obtain one before conducting independent operations.
At least two years of UAS operations, flight testing, aviation maintenance, avionics, military aviation, robotics testing, or comparable technical experience.
Demonstrated ability to configure, inspect, and safely operate remotely piloted aircraft across fixed-wing, multirotor, rotary-wing, or hybrid platforms, including transmitter/receiver setup, flight-mode programming, command-and-control links, and failsafe configuration.
Ability to fly Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 UAS, with demonstrated proficiency across fixed-wing, VTOL, multirotor, turbine, EDF, and other propulsion systems, and to transition between aircraft with different sizes, weights, and performance envelopes.
Ability to interpret test plans, test cards, mission plans, engineering drawings, technical manuals, checklists, and aircraft limitations.
Working knowledge of aircraft systems, flight controls, propulsion, electrical systems, navigation, communications, telemetry, airspace, and aviation weather.
Strong technical writing, observation, and verbal communication skills, including the ability to remain calm and make clear safety callouts during abnormal or emergency conditions.
Demonstrated experience building, maintaining, and repairing UAS or model-aircraft airframes and subsystems, including propulsion, wiring, and structural components.
Working knowledge of composite materials, including carbon fiber, fiberglass, and foam-core materials, and basic repair techniques such as bonding, patching, and lay-up appropriate to small unmanned aircraft.
Ability to safely use hand tools, power tools, and basic fabrication or repair equipment in a shop or field-maintenance environment.
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to remote test and customer locations, including outdoor work in varying terrain and weather.
Ability to satisfy customer, program, export-control, background, and drug-testing requirements applicable to assigned work.
Must currently hold, or be able to obtain and maintain, a U.S. security clearance.
Procedural discipline, test-card and checklist execution, configuration awareness, technical observation, and anomaly recognition.
Aeronautical decision-making, crew resource management, risk management, and situational awareness.
Cross-functional communication, technical troubleshooting, and professional customer-facing presence.
Accurate technical documentation, attention to detail, composure under pressure, and willingness to exercise stop-work authority.
Hands-on mechanical aptitude for airframe building, maintenance, and composite structural repair.
Ability to stand, walk, kneel, or remain at a control station for extended periods; lift or carry up to 50 pounds with or without reasonable accommodation; manipulate tools and equipment; and wear required personal protective equipment.
Availability to work early mornings, evenings, nights, weekends, or extended test/mission windows, and travel for multi-day campaigns.

Nice To Haves

Associate or bachelor’s degree in aerospace, aviation, engineering technology, unmanned systems, electronics, geography/surveying, or a related field.
Three or more years of flight-test, UAS, experimental-aircraft, developmental-testing, or fielded-mission experience across multiple aircraft configurations.
Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, Mission Planner, QGroundControl, ATAK, or comparable flight and ground-control software.
Experience with electro-optical, infrared, LiDAR, multispectral, mapping, or other stabilized mission payloads.
Knowledge of test-readiness reviews, test-card discipline, envelope expansion, requirements verification, and configuration management.
Familiarity with controlled-airspace, night, operations-over-people, waiver-supported, or beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations.
Familiarity with Jira, Confluence, Git, MATLAB, Python, LabVIEW, or other engineering and issue-tracking tools.
Military UAS operator, air vehicle operator, instructor/standardization operator, test pilot, or flight-test engineering background.
Experience operating under a Safety Management System, AS9100, or formal configuration/quality-management process.
Formal training or hands-on experience in composite fabrication and repair, such as composite-repair coursework, aerospace manufacturing, or model-aircraft/RC fabrication.
Experience building or scratch-fabricating fixed-wing, multirotor, or hybrid UAS airframes, including 3D printing, CNC, or composite lay-up techniques.
Experience with structural repair documentation, non-destructive inspection methods, or airframe damage assessment.

Responsibilities

Review flight-test plans, test cards, mission objectives, engineering requirements, aircraft limitations, risk assessments, airspace and site conditions, and success, abort, and go/no-go criteria.
Participate in test-readiness and safety reviews, preflight briefings, post-mission debriefs, and lessons-learned activities.
Coordinate with flight-test engineers, software and mechanical engineers, avionics personnel, maintainers, range personnel, program managers, and customer stakeholders.
Prepare and inspect aircraft, payloads, batteries, propulsion components, ground control stations, communications equipment, and support systems, and verify configurations against approved documentation.
Perform preflight functional checks of flight controls, navigation, propulsion, power, command-and-control links, payloads, sensors, contingency modes, and data-acquisition systems.
Operate assigned Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 UAS, adapting procedures, checklists, and risk controls to each aircraft’s size, weight, speed, and complexity.
Execute test cards or mission plans within approved operating limitations and make clear callouts about aircraft state, test-point or mission status, hazards, anomalies, and abort conditions.
Maintain awareness of aircraft position, airspeed, altitude, heading, telemetry, battery condition, airspace, personnel, obstacles, and environmental conditions during flight.
Initiate hold, abort, contingency, or emergency actions when unexpected behavior, configuration discrepancies, or uncontrolled hazards occur.
Operate electro-optical, infrared, mapping, or other mission and inspection payloads when qualified, and verify collected data against test or mission requirements.
Record test-point completion, mission results, operator observations, aircraft behavior, timing, and deviations; preserve and annotate telemetry, video, flight logs, and instrumentation data.
Prepare discrepancy and anomaly reports, test summaries, flight logs, maintenance notifications, and production-acceptance or mission-deliverable records.
Support troubleshooting, fault isolation, regression testing, and hardware/software-in-the-loop testing; provide operator feedback on handling qualities, human-machine interfaces, and procedures.
Protect customer information and maintain data integrity during collection, transfer, storage, and delivery.
Maintain accountability for aircraft, tools, batteries, spares, vehicles, and field-support equipment.
Build, assemble, and configure UAS airframes and subsystems from component- and kit-level parts, including structural, propulsion, avionics, and payload integration.
Perform scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of UAS airframes, propulsion systems, control surfaces, wiring harnesses, and payload mounts.
Inspect, repair, and fabricate composite structures, including carbon fiber, fiberglass, and sandwich-core panels, using appropriate lay-up, bonding, patch-repair, and finishing techniques.
Diagnose structural and material damage, including delamination, cracking, and impact damage, and determine repair, rework, or scrap disposition in accordance with engineering guidance.
Document build configurations, repair actions, materials used, and cure and inspection records to maintain airframe traceability and configuration control.
Travel, typically 50% or more, to domestic and international customer and test sites for deployments, troubleshooting, and mission support.