[Hiring] UAS Chief Pilot @SYOS Aerospace UK

Role Description

As UAS Chief Pilot, you’ll be responsible for supporting and overseeing UAS flight operations across SYOS. Working closely with the Flight Operations Manager, engineering teams and the wider Flight Operations function, you’ll ensure our pilots, aircraft and flight activities are ready to safely support flight test and product development programmes.

You’ll combine operational leadership with hands-on flying, regulatory compliance and flight safety. You’ll operate as Remote Pilot in Command across a range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAS platforms, while also helping develop the documentation, processes and approvals required to operate safely and compliantly. This is a technically demanding role where your work will directly enable the testing and development of SYOS autonomous aircraft.

Key Responsibilities

• Flight Operations & Leadership
  • Lead and manage UAS Remote Pilots within the Flight Operations team.
  • Coordinate onboarding, training, currency and competency of UAS pilots.
  • Support the development of a highly capable, professional and safety-focused flight operations team.
  • Assess and approve flight requests from across the business.
  • Coordinate and undertake flight operations supporting engineering, testing and development activities.
  • Act as Remote Pilot in Command across a range of fixed-wing and rotary-wing UAS platforms.
  • Ensure flight objectives are achieved safely, efficiently and in accordance with approved procedures.
• Flight Safety & Compliance
  • Champion a strong flight safety culture across SYOS.
  • Ensure all flight operations comply with applicable UAS regulations and approved operational procedures.
  • Conduct operational risk assessments and implement appropriate mitigation measures.
  • Enforce flight safety protocols and contribute to the ongoing development of SYOS’s Safety Management System.
  • Coordinate occurrence investigations and drive appropriate corrective and preventative actions.
  • Maintain overall responsibility for aircraft safety and regulatory compliance when acting as RPIC.
• Regulatory & Operational Approvals
  • Coordinate the development and maintenance of regulatory documentation required for flight operations.
  • Support the development of Specific Operations Risk Assessments (SORA) and associated operational documentation.
  • Prepare and manage flight plans, test plans, risk assessments, checklists, hazard logs and crew briefings.
  • Coordinate airspace permissions, range bookings and other operational requirements.
  • Liaise with regulatory authorities, Air Traffic Control, range safety officers and other stakeholders to secure flight authorisations.
  • Support the Flight Operations Manager with regulatory approvals and operational planning.
• Flight Test & Development
  • Work closely with engineering and test teams to support aircraft development and flight test programmes.
  • Provide operational input into test planning and flight-test methodology.
  • Ensure pilots and flight operations are appropriately briefed and prepared for test activities.
  • Contribute to formal flight-test reports and post-flight analysis.
  • Interpret telemetry, flight data and flight logs to support safe and effective operations.

Qualifications

• Minimum 200 hours of UAS flight experience as Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC).
• Formal UAS pilot qualification, such as Part 102 or an international equivalent.
• Experience operating within a Part 102 certified organisation or international equivalent.
• Experience leading small, highly skilled teams.
• Strong understanding of UAS regulatory frameworks and operational compliance.
• Proven experience acting as RPIC with responsibility for aircraft safety and legal compliance.
• Strong understanding of both VLOS and BVLOS operations.
• Experience operating fixed-wing and/or rotary-wing UAS.
• Experience developing and managing operational documentation, including flight plans, test plans, risk assessments, checklists and crew briefings.
• Strong communication and coordination skills, with the ability to work effectively across engineering, operations and other functions.

Requirements

• 100+ hours of BVLOS UAS flight experience.
• Experience operating Class 2–3 UAS.
• UAS Flight Radio Telephony Operator Certificate (UAS FRTOC), or equivalent.
• Aviation Language Proficiency certification.
• Experience working within a formal Safety Management System.
• Experience supporting flight-test or aircraft development programmes.
• Current First Aid certification.
• Full driving licence.

Benefits

At SYOS, you won’t just be flying drones. You’ll be helping develop, test and deploy advanced autonomous aircraft alongside engineers, pilots and technology specialists who are building systems for real-world applications. You’ll have the opportunity to fly multiple UAS platforms, influence how we operate, help shape our flight operations capability and directly contribute to the development of the next generation of autonomous systems.

Build it. Test it. Deploy it.

Join SYOS and help shape the future of autonomous flight.

Security Requirement

To be eligible for this role, you must be able to meet the Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS). This includes confirming your identity, legal right to work in the UK, recent employment history, and criminal record (unspent convictions only).

We are not accepting unsolicited CVs from recruitment agencies. Any CVs sent without prior agreement, including those shared directly with hiring managers, will be considered gifted and no fees will be payable.