Flight Test Operations Lead / Manager (UAS)

Location: Torrance, California, United States

Salary: $128,000–$168,000 USD annually base salary, plus potential equity grants

Company

hirify.global is a defense technology company designing and manufacturing high-performance unmanned systems for modern battlefield applications.

What you will do

• Own flight-test scheduling across concurrent campaigns, balancing pilot, technician, aircraft, range, and engineering availability.
• Build and manage the flight-test operations team, including hiring, onboarding, performance management, and career progression.
• Manage flight-test facilities, vehicles, field equipment, and the development of future test sites.
• Plan multi-week testing deployments, including travel, logistics, and site coordination.
• Improve the repeatability, documentation, and throughput of flight-test operations by identifying and resolving bottlenecks.

Requirements

• 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, including facilities, vehicles, and field infrastructure.
• Willingness to stay overnight at test facilities occasionally during the week.
• Strong written communication skills and comfort working in a fast-moving environment.

Nice to have

• FPV acro piloting or in-depth FPV drone knowledge.
• Experience in UAS flight-test operations and logistics.
• Prior military experience.
• Engineering experience or experience working directly with engineering organizations.
• Facility management experience or experience developing undeveloped land.

Culture & Benefits

• Fast-paced, hands-on environment focused on rapid iteration and deployment.
• Opportunity to work on experimental FPV drones and defense systems.
• Competitive equity grants as part of the total compensation package.