Head Of Flight Test (Aerospace)

Location: Munich, Germany; full-time and permanent, with responsibility for building flight test teams in the UK, Ukraine, and Greece.

Company

hirify.global develops and manufactures software-defined, scalable unmanned systems for defence applications supporting NATO Allies and their Partners.

What you will do

• Own the flight test organisation across pilots and operators, flight test engineering, operations, and safety and compliance.
• Build the German organisation toward 40+ people, including pillar leads, career ladders, competency standards, budgets, and headcount plans.
• Define flight test strategy, envelope-expansion methods, the master Flight Test Operations Manual, test planning, instrumentation, and data standards.
• Lead independent flight test safety, including hazard analysis, risk acceptance, Safety Review Boards, emergency response, and safety dissent escalation.
• Deliver production-acceptance, developmental, customer demonstration, and qualification campaigns across German and international locations.
• Establish local flight test organisations in the UK, Ukraine, and Greece under a common global operating model.

Requirements

• 12+ years in flight test, military aviation, or aerospace test and evaluation, including 5+ years leading flight test teams or organisations.
• Experience building or running a flight test capability with end-to-end campaign accountability through certification evidence.
• Working knowledge of UAV operating permits, including the EASA specific category and/or military airworthiness DEMAR or EMAR.
• Background in flight test engineering and data analysis.
• Business-fluent English at C1+ level and working-level German, or a credible plan to reach it, are required for the authority interface.
• NATO member-state citizenship and eligibility for German security clearance at Ü2/Ü3 level are required.

Nice to have

• Graduation from a recognised test pilot school or a flight test engineering long course.
• UAS, loitering-munition, or eVTOL flight test experience.
• Design Organisation experience and named postholder or Form 4 acceptance.
• Experience establishing flight test operations in multiple countries.
• Working knowledge of STANAG 4586 and STANAG 4671.

Culture & Benefits

• Safety authority takes priority when schedule pressure conflicts with safe operations.
• High-tempo environment focused on rapid testing while maintaining flight safety.
• Hands-on organisation-building role with responsibility for processes, teams, and international operating capability.
• Work spans civil and military authorities, certification bodies, operators, engineers, and technicians.

Hiring process

• First 12 months are structured around taking command, setting the German baseline, building the organisation, and extending operations internationally.
• Initial priorities include mapping current campaigns and authority relationships, publishing the FTOM and safety framework, establishing the Safety Review Board, and closing senior hires.