Flight Test Operations Lead / Manager
Who we are
Neros is a defense technology company rebuilding America’s drone industrial base. We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at startup speed, and built at massive scale. Our team culture is fast, hands-on, and obsessed with closing the gap between design and deployment.
As drones transform the character of warfare, Neros is delivering the systems the West needs to compete on the modern battlefield and deter the adversaries of democracy. We’re hiring engineers, operators, and builders who want to move fast, take on extreme ownership, and get capability into the hands of warfighters in months, not years.
What you will be doing
Neros is hiring a Flight Test Operations Lead/Manager to run the operations side of Flight Testing. You will own scheduling, staffing, facilities, and logistics for a team of pilots and technicians executing test flights on experimental FPV drones. You own Flight Test throughput - Success means more flight hours and tests per week with less workload and stress on the flight teams. Collect data on where time goes, find the bottlenecks, and fix them.
Responsibilities
Own and maintain the flight test schedule across concurrent campaigns, balancing pilot, technician, aircraft, and range availability against engineering commitments
Build and manage the flight test operations team, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and career progression
Be responsible for flight test facilities, vehicles, and field equipment. Lead requirements, timeline, and development of future test sites
Plan multi week testing deployments including travel, logistics, site coordination
Improve the repeatability, documentation, and throughput of test operations over time
You should have the following
5+ years of experience leading teams in UAS, film, military, aviation, or similarly complex operations
Demonstrated ownership of scheduling and resource allocation across multiple teams
Hands on ability to fly drones, or experience managing and directing drone pilots
Experience managing physical assets such as work facilities, vehicles, and field infrastructure
Willingness to stay overnight at test facilities occasionally during the week
Strong written communication and comfort in a fast moving environment
Nice to have
FPV acro piloting / In depth FPV drone knowledge
Experience in UAS flight test operations
Experience in logistics
Prior military experience
Engineering background, or experience working directly with engineering organizations
Facility management or standing up undeveloped land
US Salary Range
$131,500 - $184,000 USD
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are considered part of Neros' total compensation package.
We’re an equal opportunity employer. We welcome all applicants without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.