UAS Standards Manager

Quanta Aviation Services Group • , CA

1d • $130,000 - $140,000 • Remote

About The Position

Quanta Aviation Services (QAS) is the administrative and organizational arm supporting four aviation companies within Quanta Services. Together, these companies operate the largest private utility helicopter fleet in the world. QAS supports the aviation group through operational coordination, safety and compliance oversight, construction and rigging support, and training that prepares both flight crews and lineworkers to safely perform helicopter-supported utility work. By providing this structure and support, Quanta Aviation Services enables each operating company to focus on safe operations, customer service, and executing complex utility and construction missions nationwide. The UAS Standards Manager is the enterprise standard-setter for unmanned aerial system operations across all 250+ Quanta operating companies that implement drones or maintain drone programs. This role sets the operating standards, executes audits, designs and delivers training programs, maintains corporate internal communications and guidelines with the OpCos, and vets third-party drone service providers (DSPs) sponsored into Quanta procurement. This is not a departmental role. This is the person Quanta Services relies on to keep every drone program across the enterprise operating to a consistent, defensible, utility-customer-submittable standard. Currently >70 companies actively in the audit population, with the audit and standards program expanding as more OpCos launch drone operations.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Safety, Aviation, Engineering, or related field (or 5+ years equivalent experience)
• FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot certification
• 5+ years demonstrated experience owning aviation, industrial, or utility safety standards / audit programs
• Prior experience conducting field audits (SMS, ISNetworld, Avetta, BARS, ISBAO, or comparable frameworks)
• Strong technical writing — SOP, incident reports, audit findings must be customer-submittable
• Utility industry safety and standards familiarity
• Willingness to travel ~25%-50% for audits, customer engagements, and site visits

Nice To Haves

• Prior utility Chief Pilot or Standards/Compliance role experience
• FAA, Transport Canada or CASA BVLOS regulatory familiarity
• Manned-aviation credentials (Private Pilot, Instrument, Advanced Ground Instructor)
• BARS / ISBAO auditor experience
• HFACS (Human Factors Analysis & Classification System) or equivalent root-cause certification
• Prior training-program ownership at scale (utility, F1000, or aviation-services context)
• OEM operator certifications on Skydio X-series, WingtraOne, Flyability Elios, INSPIRED FLIGHT, FreeFly, Censys, DJI Matrice series

Responsibilities

• Define and maintain the enterprise UAS operating standard across all Quanta OpCos operating drone programs
• Own the SOP family of documents Rev 4.0 framework (Field Operations Manual, Safety Management System, Training Manual, Maintenance Program) that governs QAS UAS Operations and cascades appropriately to sponsored operators
• Ensure standards remain current with regulatory requirements (FAA, Transport Canada, and CASA), NDAA / NIST supply-chain requirements, and utility-industry procurement expectations (ISNetworld, Avetta, Veriforce, NCMS)
• Lead periodic standards review and revision cycles
• Design and execute annual audit cycle covering ~70 companies and growing
• Own audit checklists, field-audit protocols, findings reports, and corrective action tracking
• Conduct on-site field audits at operator facilities and job sites; travel expected ~25-50%
• Interface with utility customer safety departments during customer-driven audits (initial and annual reviews)
• Vet and onboard new third-party DSPs sponsored into Quanta procurement
• Design and deliver enterprise-level training programs for the Quanta drone-program population
• Own competency-based assessments and role-specific training matrices
• Coordinate with OpCo UAS program Managers on mission-specific training curriculum
• Oversee recurrent training standards + records compliance across sponsored operators
• Own SMS incident investigation lifecycle: initial response, root-cause analysis (HFACS or comparable framework), corrective action, close-out
• Maintain SMS documentation, hazard reporting, safety-culture initiatives
• Report safety metrics to QAS leadership monthly and to customer safety organizations as contractually required
• Vet third-party drone service providers sponsored into Quanta procurement
• Maintain approved-vendor list and vendor performance metrics
• Manage vendor onboarding, credentialing, and compliance verification

Benefits

• Base salary: $130,000 – $140,000 depending on experience and prior credentials
• Performance bonus: eligible for annual performance bonus
• 401(k): with Quanta Services match per corporate policy
• Health benefits: full Quanta medical, dental, vision, life, LTD
• Paid time off: per Quanta corporate policy
• Professional development budget: for certifications, industry conferences, continuing education
• Standard Quanta benefits: stock purchase program eligibility, EAP, wellness resources

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior