Aviation Military Analyst, Unmanned Aircraft Systems

Responsibilities

• Serve as a subject matter expert on Group 13 unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), autonomy, and emerging drone technologies
• Design, build, configure, program, integrate, and troubleshoot small unmanned aircraft systems and associated subsystems
• Support capability development, experimentation, operational assessments, and technology evaluations for Army and Department of Defense UAS initiatives
• Program and configure autonomous and semi-autonomous flight control systems using industry-standard open-source flight controller software
• Analyze UAS hardware and software architectures, power systems, communications, payload integration, and system performance
• Develop technical recommendations related to UAS design, autonomy, mission planning, and operational employment
• Collaborate with engineers, software developers, operators, and government stakeholders to support technology development and fielding efforts
• Develop and execute technical plans based on broad or evolving program requirements while maintaining stakeholder awareness of project status
• Translate complex technical concepts into clear presentations, briefings, and written documentation appropriate for both technical and executive audiences
• Support development of capability requirements using the DOTMLPF-P framework
• Analyze technical data, performance metrics, and operational results to support informed program decisions
• Participate in technical demonstrations, working groups, and customer engagements
• Support organizational process improvements and technology transition activities
• Travel up to 50% in support of customer meetings, testing, demonstrations, and operational events

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Aviation, Computer Science, Robotics, or a related technical field, or equivalent professional experience
• Minimum 5 years of hands‑on experience building, programming, configuring, flying, and troubleshooting First Person View (FPV) quadcopters or small unmanned aircraft systems
• Experience programming and operating autonomous or semi‑autonomous UAS using one or more of the following flight control systems:
  Beta flight, iNAV, Ardu Pilot, PX4 or similar open‑source flight controller software
• Experience using C and/or C++ within command‑line interface (CLI) environments for flight controller programming and configuration
• Strong understanding of: UAS power systems, Aircraft design considerations, Component selection, Flight performance limitations, Operational risks and technical tradeoffs
• Experience working directly with multidisciplinary engineering and technical development teams
• Military experience operating Group 3 or smaller tactical unmanned aircraft systems, or equivalent operational experience supporting public safety/first responders, commercial drone operations, infrastructure inspections, forestry, commercial delivery, or other advanced sUAS applications
• Demonstrated ability to communicate complex technical information to audiences ranging from engineers to senior executives
• Experience independently planning and executing technical efforts with minimal supervision
• Strong analytical skills with experience using technical data and performance metrics to support recommendations and decision‑making
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Working knowledge of the DOTMLPF‑P capability development framework and defense requirements generation process
• Ability to travel up to 50%
• FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate required
• FCC Amateur Radio Technician License required
• Active Secret Security Clearance