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Manager Unmanned Systems Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Work with project managers and articulate development time estimates. * Design, document, develop, and integrate software in a wide range of languages and how the software affects the unmanned system ...

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Manager Unmanned Systems information

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$46K

$102.1K

$153K

How much do manager unmanned systems jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for manager unmanned systems in the United States is $102,067.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $77,000.00 and $125,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a manager unmanned systems?

A Manager Unmanned Systems oversees the operations, development, and deployment of unmanned systems such as drones, autonomous vehicles, or robotic platforms. Their responsibilities often include managing teams, ensuring regulatory compliance, coordinating projects, and integrating unmanned systems into broader organizational objectives. They also work closely with engineers, operators, and stakeholders to ensure the safe and efficient use of these systems. This role requires strong leadership, technical knowledge, and an understanding of the evolving unmanned systems landscape.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a manager unmanned systems?

To thrive as a Manager Unmanned Systems, you need expertise in unmanned vehicle operations, project management, and a relevant engineering or technical degree. Familiarity with industry-standard control software, regulatory compliance tools, and certifications such as Part 107 Remote Pilot or equivalent are typically required. Strong leadership, problem-solving abilities, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for guiding teams and coordinating with stakeholders. These skills ensure safe, efficient deployment of unmanned systems and successful achievement of organizational objectives.

What are some common challenges faced by a manager unmanned systems, and how can they be effectively addressed?

A Manager of Unmanned Systems often faces challenges such as staying current with rapidly evolving technology, ensuring regulatory compliance, and coordinating multidisciplinary teams. Effective managers address these challenges by fostering continuous learning, maintaining close communication with regulatory bodies, and encouraging cross-functional collaboration between engineers, operators, and analysts. Building strong project management processes and prioritizing safety protocols also help mitigate risks and streamline operations.

What is the difference between Manager Unmanned Systems vs Drone Operations Manager?

AspectManager Unmanned SystemsDrone Operations Manager
CertificationsFAA Part 107, UAV certifications, project managementFAA Part 107, UAV certifications, safety training
Work EnvironmentResearch labs, field operations, military, commercial sectorsField operations, commercial drone services, government agencies
Industry UsageDefense, agriculture, surveying, delivery, researchMedia, inspection, surveying, agriculture

The Manager Unmanned Systems typically oversees a broad range of unmanned vehicle programs across various industries, focusing on strategic planning and integration. In contrast, the Drone Operations Manager often concentrates on day-to-day drone flight operations, safety, and compliance within specific projects. Both roles require similar certifications and work environments but differ in scope and responsibilities.

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What cities are hiring for Manager Unmanned Systems jobs?

Cities with the most Manager Unmanned Systems job openings:

What are the most commonly searched types of Unmanned Systems jobs?

The most popular types of Unmanned Systems jobs are:

What states have the most Manager Unmanned Systems jobs?

States with the most job openings for Manager Unmanned Systems jobs include:

Infographic showing various Manager Unmanned Systems job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 81% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 17% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $102,067 per year, or $49.1 per hour.

Mission Director - Autonomous and Unmanned Systems

Limelight Health

Colorado Springs, CO โ€ข On-site

$175 - $215/hr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Posted 6 days ago


Job description

Mission Director - Autonomous and Unmanned Systems Position Summary

As the Mission Director for the Autonomous and Unmanned Systems Domain within the Federal Business Unit at Defense Unicorns, you will focus on ensuring customer retention, satisfaction, long-term success, and account expansion. This role emphasizes relationship management, hero happiness, and accelerating time to value for mission partners. By proactively addressing customer needs; driving both product development and adoption; and serving as a trusted advisor to both seniors DoW leaders and our nationโ€™s most experienced warfighters; you will maintain high retention rates, build advocacy among our heroes, and iteratively grow the Autonomous and Unmanned Systems domain over time..

Key Responsibilities
  • Customer Retention & Satisfaction
    • Build and maintain relationships with mission heroes to ensure satisfaction and alignment with their mission outcomes.
    • Maintain a minimum 90% revenue retention rate by addressing customer needs, resolving issues promptly, and maintaining high engagement.
  • Time-to-Value & Adoption
    • Guide prototype development and adoption towards the customersโ€™ operational capability goals.
    • Ensure positive onboarding experience and expedited time-to-value for new customers.
    • Promote adoption of Defense Unicornsโ€™ products and solutions to meet and exceed mission objectives.
    • Facilitate a retrospective when TTV is achieved to capture lessons learned and ensure we are improving the process for future customers.
  • Hero (Customer) Advocacy & Health
    • Serve as a trusted advisor, advocating for solutions that meet both immediate and long-term goals.
    • Maintain a high hero health score by regularly engaging with partners and reinforcing value.
    • Provide regular updates to heroes regarding progress on feedback and new features/benefits they are receiving from our products.
  • Account Expansion
    • Identify expansion opportunities within current hero accounts and maximize contract value. Modify existing contracts to capture new scope when necessary.
    • Scope contracts to provide the most amount of flexibility possible and allow for expansion focusing on licenses whenever possible.
    • Identify opportunities for cross selling to adjacent programs and partner with the (insert Domain) Account Executive.
  • Collaborative Product Development
    • Translate data and UxS capability gaps into achieve product development milestones, ensuring that Defense Unicornsโ€™ R&D engine is driving towards relevant mission capabilities.
    • Relay customer feedback to the Product team to prioritize relevant features or fixes.
    • Advocate for domain-specific enhancements to improve customer experience and retention.
  • Metrics & Reporting
    • Track and report KPIs, including retention rates, hero health scores, time-to-value, and adoption success.
    • Achieve an 80% retention target for domain revenue and maintain a low churn rate.
Expectations
  • Conduct quarterly business reviews (QBRs) to highlight progress and align on future goals.
  • Champion customer needs across internal teams to ensure mission success and continued satisfaction.
  • Facilitate and socialize results of a retrospective post time to value achievement.
  • Balance TTV and gross profit margins during the initial period of the contract, leaning towards TTV, to ensure โ€œstickinessโ€ and renewal of the contract. After the initial TTV, maintain >65% gross profit margins across the domain.
Travel Expectations

4-12 times per year

Full compensation packages are based on candidate experience. Compensation ranges are established using national benchmarking data and apply across all geographic locations within the United States.

Remote - USA

$175,000 โ€” $215,000 USD

Who We Are

Defense Unicorns delivers mission value by streamlining software delivery so our customers can focus on the most important challenges. We share a vision of freedom and security for the advancement of progress and innovation. Our commitment to this vision, and to our mission-driven customers, means a commitment to speed, user experience and optionality, without compromising security. Our team is composed of innovators, software engineers, and veterans with decades of experience delivering technology programs across the federal market.

What We Do

We create and deliver secure solutions for continuous software integration and delivery. Defense Unicorns consolidates the best practices for security pipelines, testing, and deployment automation in order to meet the high security requirements valued by mission owners. Our solutions are agnostic by design and we believe that growing a robust ecosystem of secure, cloud-native software solutions can help enterprise customers inside and outside the federal market buy and integrate software more easily.

Who We Serve

Defense Unicornsโ€™ customers are mission-focused leaders across public and private enterprises. We proudly support defense and civil agencies across the U.S. government and we work closely with the creators of leading-edge software solutions to deliver value to the mission-owner by improving the security and consumability of commercial software products.

What We Work On
  • Kubernetes
  • Cloud Environments (AWS/GCP and Azure)
  • Infrastructure-as-code (like Terraform/Pulumi)
  • Continuous Delivery and automation tooling
  • GitOps
  • Containers
  • CNCF projects and open source products and packages
  • Helm/Kustomize-Value Stream Mapping
  • Building and improving security delivery
  • Building Kubernetes and cloud native applications
Benefits Our Unicorns Enjoy Health:
  • Medical/Dental/Vision
  • Premiums are 100% Company Paid
  • Health Savings Account
  • Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
Financial:
  • 401k Retirement Plan
  • Company Stock Options
  • Home Office Budget
Leave:
  • We offer all full-time Unicorns Flexible Time Off (FTO) plus all Federal Holidays, one week for Thanksgiving, and two weeks for Christmas and New Yearโ€™s
  • Paid Parental Leave
Learning:
  • Reimbursement for approved trainings/subscriptions
  • Conferences (travel, lodging, and fees)

Dont have all the preferred experience or qualifications? Studies show that underrepresented groups like women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs if they don't meet every requirement listed.

At Defense Unicorns, we're committed to diversity. If you're enthusiastic about the role but don't match every criteria, we encourage you to apply. You could be the perfect fit for this or another role! Defense Unicorns is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

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