Operational Test Pilot & Exercise Integration Lead

The Flight Operations team at Hermeus is charged with creating the strategy and leading the successful execution of the US Government relationships and processes that enable company flight activity milestones. This close-knit team serves as the main interface between relevant DoD, FAA, and FCC partners and internal company-wide teams. Our team acquires and maintains flight approvals for Hermeus flight vehicles, coordinates and plans with airfields and ranges, and provides fleet insight to our internal teams and government partners. Our work enables Hermeus to achieve rapid flight vehicle development and to deliver Flight Test as a Service to our customers.

As Operational Test Pilot & Exercise Integration Lead, you are the operator's voice inside the company and Hermeus' face to the warfighter. You will fly our aircraft, plan and lead our missions, integrate our vehicles into live ranges and joint exercises, and serve as the single point of coordination between Hermeus and the operational units, range authorities, and test organizations we fly with. You will translate operational intent into executable test plans - and translate flight test results back into capability the force actually wants. You will also carry program management ownership for Flight Test as a Service engagements, from customer scoping through flight execution and data delivery.

This role is for someone who has flown tactical aviation, planned and led complex missions in contested or congested airspace, and is now looking to put that experience directly into a new class of aircraft. You will be an extreme owner, comfortable moving between the cockpit, the control room, the customer's conference room, and the engineering bay in the same day.

Responsibilities

• Serve as a pilot for Hermeus flight operations, including development and execution of normal, abnormal, and emergency procedures

• Lead mission planning and execution for company flight test and demonstration events: profile design, go/no-go criteria, crew and control room coordination, contingency and abort planning, and post-flight debrief

• Own range and airspace integration for flight activity - coordinate with range control, airspace managers, airfield operations, and test organizations to secure and protect flight windows, and deconflict Hermeus activity with other users

• Act as Hermeus' lead integrator and coordinator for joint and service exercise participation: build relationships with sponsoring units and exercise planning teams, shepherd Hermeus through the exercise planning cycle, and lead on-site execution

• Build and maintain the operational relationships that make flight happen - operational squadrons, test squadrons, range leadership, and government program offices

• Provide the operator's perspective to engineering and program teams: influence vehicle design, mission systems, concept of employment, test plans, and mission profiles so the vehicle matures toward missions the force actually needs

• Develop and maintain flight operations products - 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: scope definition with the customer, schedule and milestone tracking, cross-functional coordination, deliverable and data product management, and customer communication through closeout

• Lead and chair readiness reviews, test readiness reviews, and safety reviews with internal teams and external partners; ensure deliverables are on time and meet customer expectations

• Mentor and grow the operations and mission planning function as the team and flight rate scale

• Be relentless in challenging the status quo to compress planning cycles, accelerate approval timelines, and increase flight rate

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 / 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, with demonstrated leadership of complex, multi-organization efforts

• Hands-on experience planning and executing missions on US 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 - 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

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate of USAF Test Pilot School, US Naval Test Pilot School, or an equivalent test pilot or flight test engineer program

• Graduate of USAF Weapons School, TOPGUN, or 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, with 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 the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, autonomously driven startup atmosphere