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Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Vibrant Planet

Sr. PM; Applications

$129K - $170K/yr

US-based remote. Pacific or Mountain Time Zone required. About Vibrant Planet We are a team of ... CAL FIRE, USFS, PG&E) develop actionable, prioritized plans to mitigate risk across communities ...

Brinc Drones Inc

Account Executive, Fire/EMS

$80K - $160K/yr

FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate preferred * Previous experience working within the fire service preferred * Wildland and/or high-rise fire experience preferred, including an understanding of ...

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Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot information

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$71.5K

$100.2K

$123.5K

How much do remote cal fire helicopter pilot jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for remote cal fire helicopter pilot in the United States is $100,249.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $90,000.00 and $112,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a remote Cal Fire helicopter pilot?

Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilots are certified aviators responsible for operating helicopters used by California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to combat wildfires and support emergency operations. Typically, these pilots fly specialized aircraft to drop water or fire retardant, transport firefighting crews, conduct aerial reconnaissance, and assist in search and rescue missions. While 'remote' in this context often refers to pilots working in remote, fire-prone areas, some positions may also involve remote command or coordination. These pilots must have extensive flight experience, a commercial pilot license, and specialized training in wildfire operations. Their role is critical in protecting lives, property, and natural resources across California.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a remote Cal Fire helicopter pilot?

To excel as a Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot, you need an FAA commercial helicopter pilot license, extensive flight experience, and specialized wildfire suppression training. Familiarity with GPS navigation, radio communication systems, and firefighting equipment is essential, along with certifications like NVG (Night Vision Goggle) endorsement. Strong decision-making, situational awareness, and calm under pressure are crucial soft skills for handling emergencies and dynamic environments. These skills and qualifications are vital for ensuring safety, effective firefighting operations, and rapid response during critical missions.

What are some unique challenges faced by remote Cal Fire helicopter pilots, and how do they typically overcome them?

Remote Cal Fire helicopter pilots often encounter challenges such as operating in rugged, unpredictable terrain and rapidly changing weather conditions, which can impact visibility and flight safety. They must also be prepared to respond to emergency calls at any time, requiring flexibility and strong situational awareness. To overcome these challenges, pilots rely on rigorous training, regular drills, and close collaboration with ground crews and incident commanders to ensure coordinated and safe firefighting operations.

What is the difference between Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot vs Remote Firefighting Drone Operator?

AspectRemote Cal Fire Helicopter PilotRemote Firefighting Drone Operator
CredentialsCommercial pilot license, helicopter certification, firefighting trainingDrone pilot license, remote sensing certifications, firefighting knowledge
Work EnvironmentHelicopter cockpit, outdoor firefighting scenes, remote locationsRemote control stations, aerial drone operation sites, command centers
Employer & IndustryCal Fire, firefighting agencies, government contractsPrivate companies, firefighting tech firms, government agencies

The Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot operates helicopters directly involved in firefighting efforts, requiring specialized pilot certifications and hands-on flying experience. In contrast, the Remote Firefighting Drone Operator controls unmanned aerial vehicles to assist firefighting remotely, focusing on drone operation skills and remote sensing. Both roles support firefighting but differ significantly in credentials, work environment, and operational methods.

More about Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs

What cities are hiring for Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs?

Cities with the most Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot job openings:

What are the most commonly searched types of Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs?

The most popular types of Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs are:

What states have the most Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs?

States with the most job openings for Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs include:

What are popular job titles related to Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs?

For Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot jobs near you
Infographic showing various Remote Cal Fire Helicopter Pilot job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 50% Full Time, and 50% Part Time. Highlights an 100% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $100,249 per year, or $48.2 per hour.

Sr. PM; Applications

Remote

Vibrant Planet
Environmental Consulting Services • 51 - 200 employees
Learn more about Vibrant Planetexternal

$129K - $170K/yr

Full-time

Posted 5 days ago

Job description

Title: Senior Product Manager, Utility Applications
Company Name: Vibrant Planet
Location: US-based remote. Pacific or Mountain Time Zone required.
About Vibrant Planet
We are a team of leaders in science, forestry, policy, and tech on a mission to reduce catastrophic fire impacts to communities and ecosystems. Vibrant Planet's software platform monitors and forecasts wildfire and climate risk and helps our customers (e.g. CAL FIRE, USFS, PG&E) develop actionable, prioritized plans to mitigate risk across communities, road and utility infrastructure, and natural capital.
Our current offerings include: multi-dimensional risk monitoring and forecasting, decision support for communities and land managers; utility products for anticipating and proactively protecting against utility-ignited wildfires with precision; and several data+report style offerings, primarily focused on wildfire hazard and risk data, and ecological outcomes. We are committed to bringing the best possible science, data, and algorithms together in interfaces that help Fire Districts, Land Managers, Resource Conservation Districts, Property Owners, Insurers, Water Utilities, and Electrical Utilities take action in the face of uncertainty and complexity.
Vibrant Planet is backed by climate and ecosystem resilience solutions leaders, including Citi Impact Fund, Microsoft, Earthshot, Elemental Excelerator, Ecosystem Integrity Fund, Chris Cox (CPO at FB), Neil Hunt (Former CPO of Netflix), Cisco, Valia Ventures, and Grantham Foundation..
About the Role
Vibrant Planet seeks a Senior Product Manager to take an early-stage line of business from 0.5 to 100. The Senior Utilities PM will report to the Chief Product Officer and partner closely with fire science and analytics, application and data engineering, design, and business development to cover user experience, data flows, fire science, partnership and delivery mechanisms.
This individual will own customer research, user and API interfaces; co-own data strategies with the lead fire scientist and lead engineer; and play an essential role in developing key partnerships with the Utilities general manager. This is an opportunity to work with a top notch team on a product with significant impact on building wildfire and infrastructure resilience.
Responsibilities
Customer Insight & Advocacy
  • Be the expert on named account user experiences - within Vibrant Planet applications and within their roles more broadly - using a wide range of quantitative and qualitative tools including direct interviews supported by vibe code prototypes, passive data collection and analysis, internet research, and survey research.
  • Advocate effectively for the interests of users with the business, design, and engineering, including through moderation of "dogfooding" exercises (usage and testing of workflows and data from multiple customer points of view).

Product Design & Delivery
  • Synthesize user needs and technical capabilities into coherent, prioritized features and products.
  • Own the product roadmap for assigned areas, prioritizing and making trade-offs transparently and communicating them clearly across the organization.
  • Collaborate with Design, Science, and Engineering to deliver effectively and on time.
  • Communicate team accomplishments, progress, and risks to leadership and to the company at large.
  • Provide material input to company strategy and investor docs.

Business Strategy & Collaboration
  • Develop and pressure-test business cases for new product bets, including pricing, packaging, and go-to-market framing.
  • Create and articulate strategic differentiators ("the moat"), and understand the importance of scientifically sound models and results
  • Partner with leadership on how product investments map to company growth.
  • Support sales and marketing activities with training, collateral, and collaboration.
  • Contribute to proposals, pilots, and strategic account conversations.
Experience and Background
  • 7+ years of experience in product management, with demonstrated experience owning complex B2B or B2G products.
  • Track record of leading customer discovery with technical, expert, or enterprise customers and translating findings into product decisions.
  • Zero-to-one experience. Business model definition, pricing input, liability issues, creating training and support as part of the product.
  • Proven ability to work alongside deep domain experts (scientists, engineers, analysts) and add value - STEM education or equivalent experience. While you won't be asked to do a ton of data analysis yourself, we are looking for someone comfortable with data and statistics.
  • Significant experience in one or more of: electric utilities space, meteorology, fire modeling.
  • Preferrably: experience building products with a strong geospatial component.

Characteristics and Skills
  • Emotional intelligence and situational leadership skills
  • Ability to turn observation into actionable insight
  • Ability to co-direct strong execution with a remote interdisciplinary team
  • Excellent written and verbal communication
  • Comfortable creating structure in an ambiguous environment, and comfortable with challenging structures if required
  • Detail oriented
  • Demonstrate optimistic realism
  • Excited to work in a startup environment
  • Passion for our mission
  • Able to travel occasionally (4-8 trips/year)
Location
We are a remote first company with the majority of the team in the US west coast and mountain time zones. Bay Area, Tahoe region, and Missoula, MT are preferred for this position. Pacific or Mountain Timezone hours are required, US location is required.
Compensation
$150,000-210,000 salary (DOE), plus equity and benefits
Equal Opportunity Employer
Vibrant Planet is committed to diversity. We encourage applicants from all cultures, races, colors, religions, sexes, national or regional origins, ages, disability status, sexual orientation, gender identity, military, or other status protected by law to apply.
We are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job, and that candidate may come from a less traditional background, but have capacity to grow into and thrive in the position after some mentoring. We encourage each candidate to think broadly about their unique background and skill set and how it may relate to the role.

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