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Unmanned Pilot Jobs (NOW HIRING)

As a Drone Pilot, you will be responsible for the safe and efficient execution of complex drone missions, managing the technical aspects of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and adhering to strict ...

We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at ... Pilot drones in flight testing, gain deep familiarity with the system and aircraft performance ...

FPV Test Pilot

Torrance, CA · On-site

$70K - $120K/yr

We design and manufacture high-performance unmanned systems that are tested in combat, iterated at ... Pilot drones in flight testing, gain deep familiarity with the system and aircraft performance ...

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Unmanned Pilot information

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$49.5K

$130.9K

$201K

How much do unmanned pilot jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for unmanned pilot in the United States is $130,916.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $100,000.00 and $155,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Unmanned Pilot, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Unmanned Pilot, you need strong knowledge of aeronautical principles, navigation, and FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certification. Familiarity with unmanned aerial systems (UAS) platforms, flight planning software, and GPS navigation tools is typically required. Attention to detail, situational awareness, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for safe mission execution and teamwork. These skills and qualifications are important to ensure regulatory compliance, operational safety, and successful mission outcomes.

What are some common challenges Unmanned Pilots face when operating drones in different environments?

Unmanned Pilots often encounter challenges such as adapting to varying weather conditions, maintaining line-of-sight in complex terrains, and ensuring compliance with strict safety and regulatory requirements. They must also be prepared to handle unexpected technical issues and coordinate closely with team members, such as mission planners and data analysts, to achieve successful operations. Effective communication and quick decision-making are essential skills for overcoming these challenges and ensuring mission success.

What is the difference between Unmanned Pilot vs Drone Operator?

AspectUnmanned PilotDrone Operator
CertificationsRemote Pilot Certificate (FAA Part 107)FAA Part 107 Certification often required
Work EnvironmentField operations, aerial inspections, surveillanceMedia production, surveying, recreational flying
Industry UsageCommercial, industrial, government sectorsMedia, entertainment, hobbyist

Unmanned Pilots and Drone Operators often share certifications like the FAA Part 107. However, Unmanned Pilots typically engage in more complex, operational roles such as aerial inspections and surveillance, while Drone Operators often focus on media production or recreational flying. Both roles are essential in various industries, but Unmanned Pilots usually require more advanced training and experience for commercial applications.

What are unmanned pilots?

Unmanned pilots, also known as drone pilots or UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) operators, are professionals who remotely control aircraft without an onboard human pilot. They are responsible for operating drones for a variety of purposes, including aerial photography, surveying, agriculture, search and rescue, and military operations. Unmanned pilots must have a thorough understanding of aviation regulations, safety procedures, and the technical aspects of drone systems. They often require certification or licensing, depending on the country and type of operation.
More about Unmanned Pilot jobs
What cities are hiring for Unmanned Pilot jobs? Cities with the most Unmanned Pilot job openings:
What states have the most Unmanned Pilot jobs? States with the most job openings for Unmanned Pilot jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Unmanned Pilot jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Unmanned Pilot jobs are:
Infographic showing various Unmanned Pilot job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 62% Full Time, 33% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $130,916 per year, or $62.9 per hour.
Experimental Test Pilot, Air Dominance & Strike

Experimental Test Pilot, Air Dominance & Strike

Anduril Industries

Victorville, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted 24 days ago


Anduril rating

9.4

Company rating: 9.4 out of 10

Based on 7 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz


Job description

Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a realtime, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
Anduril Industries is a defense technology company with a mission to transform U.S. and allied military capabilities with advanced technology. By bringing the expertise, technology, and business model of the 21st century's most innovative companies to the defense industry, Anduril is changing how military systems are designed, built and sold. Anduril's family of systems is powered by Lattice OS, an AI-powered operating system that turns thousands of data streams into a real-time, 3D command and control center. As the world enters an era of strategic competition, Anduril is committed to bringing cutting-edge autonomy, AI, computer vision, sensor fusion, and networking technology to the military in months, not years.
At Anduril we are developing unmanned aerial systems capable of terminal guidance, long range intelligence collection, precision relative and global navigation, and unsupervised autonomy. The Test and Evaluation team works across the entire spectrum of products ranging from Lattice Ghost UAS, Sentry Tower, cUAS, missile, Fury and many of our other platforms.
As a Experimental Test Pilot, you will support the development and field testing of Anduril's Unmanned Aerial System products. In this position you will prepare aircraft for flight, conduct flight tests of the aircraft as the test pilot, and support the test engineering team during product development through the life of the developmental aircraft.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
  • As a Test Pilot for the Fury developmental aircraft system you will be involved in Design Reviews and working groups.
  • As an experimental test pilot, you will often pushing the boundaries of what is considered safe or normal flight.
  • You will help develop system test procedures and be directly involved in laboratory environment and surrogate open-air environment testing.
  • You will be expected to perform as a guiding member within the Test and Evaluation team and regularly interface with the Director of Flight Operations, Head of Test, Chief Engineer, Lead Flight Test Engineer, and customer representatives.
  • You are directly responsible for the safe flight of the aircraft and will hold an advisory position on various safety reviews, design reviews, and Airworthiness reviews.
  • You will be directly involved with ground and flight testing of developmental aircraft to determine compliance with specification, validation of Airworthiness and operational suitability.
  • You will work side-by-side with the Flight Test Engineers and Discipline Engineers to develop safe, effective and efficient test procedures, evaluate system and test safety, and verify the functional design of the system.
  • You will be expected to participate in flight operations efforts and support the direction of the flight test program.
  • You will work with other test pilots to approve cockpit configuration, author flight procedures, develop and verify emergency procedures, and be directly involved with test team and control room training.
  • In preparation for ground and flight testing you will be an reviewer of test procedures, flight test plans, flight test cards, operating limitations, flight test schedules, flight test support documents, and ground handling documents.
  • You will attend system design and configuration control meetings and provide input to work through and decide on opening or closure/solutions for change requests. You will use your knowledge of the total system design and program requirements to determine change priority, timeline and test verification requirements leading up to software releases and aircraft block changes.
  • Faced with technical and execution challenges, you will be expected to develop creative solutions to unique problems. You will be biased for action - you are empowered to engage your team to solve and fix any problem you encounter.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • Graduate of a U.S. military test pilot school (TPS), or meet DCMAINST 8210.1 series alternate education and experience qualifications for contractor UA pilot/operator
  • 10+ years flight test experience, including first flight of new aircraft and envelope expansion.
  • 1,000 hours Pilot-in-Command time or 500 hours in unmanned aircraft.
  • Qualifying hours must Include 200 hours of Pilot-in-Command time during engineering flight test, and 10 hours during experimental flight test.
  • Commercial pilot certificate with Instrument rating
  • FAA Class 2 Medical, maintained annually
  • Ability to travel as required to support off-site aircraft testing.
  • Must possess the ability to understand new concepts quickly; apply them accurately; organize, schedule, and coordinate work phases; and, determine the appropriate approach at the task level or, with assistance, at the project level to provide solutions to a range of complex problems.
  • Must have strong communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills, with emphasis on technical subjects and the authoring of numerous technical documents which support the safe operation of the aircraft.
  • Experience providing direct support authoring flight manuals and technical documentation necessary to operate developmental aircraft, and delivering configuration controlled publications to the customer.
  • Specialized training and experience in flying and evaluating new or significantly modified aircraft, systems, or technologies.
  • Strong computer and technical software experience (JIRA, MS Office, Jama, and Nominal).
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team; able to perform complex tasks
  • Able to work extended and irregular hours.
  • Must be able to obtain and hold a U.S. TS/SCI security clearance

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
  • 15+ years experience as a test pilot working with developmental aircraft
  • 2,000 hours Pilot-in-Command time or 500 hours in unmanned aircraft.
  • US Military Weapons School Graduate
  • ATP certificate with Class 1 medical.
  • Masters in Aerospace Engineering, or engineering related technical discipline
  • Previous experience as PIC of high performance turbine aircraft, especially tactical military aircraft.
  • Previous experience as a Test Pilot on a manned or large UAS aircraft
  • First flight experience on a developmental manned or large UAS aircraft
  • Certified Flight Instructor / Instrument

US Salary Range
$146,000-$194,000 USD
The salary range for this role is an estimate based on a wide range of compensation factors, inclusive of base salary only. Actual salary offer may vary based on (but not limited to) work experience, education and/or training, critical skills, and/or business considerations. Highly competitive equity grants are included in the majority of full time offers; and are considered part of Anduril's total compensation package. Additionally, Anduril offers top-tier benefits for full-time employees, including:
Benefits
At Anduril, we invest in our people. Our comprehensive, competitive benefits package (available at little to no cost to employees) ensures you're supported in health, recovery, and whatever comes next. For more information, Explore Our Benefits.
Protecting Yourself from Recruitment Scams
Anduril is committed to maintaining the integrity of our Talent acquisition process and the security of our candidates. We've observed a rise in sophisticated phishing and fraudulent schemes where individuals impersonate Anduril representatives, luring job seekers with false interviews or job offers. These scammers often attempt to extract payment or sensitive personal information.
To ensure your safety and help you navigate your job search with confidence, please keep the following critical points in mind:
  • No Financial Requests: Anduril will never solicit payment or demand personal financial details (such as banking information, credit card numbers, or social security numbers) at any stage of our hiring process. Our legitimate recruitment is entirely free for candidates.
  • Please always verify communications:
    • Direct from Anduril: If you receive an email from one of our recruiters, it will only come from an @anduril.com address.
    • Via Agency Partner: If contacted by a recruiting agency for an Anduril role, their email will clearly identify their agency. If you suspect any suspicious activity, please verify the agency's authenticity by reaching out to contact@anduril.com.
  • Exercise Caution with Unsolicited Outreach: If you receive any communication that appears suspicious, contains grammatical errors, or makes unusual requests, do not engage. Always confirm the sender's email domain is @anduril.com before providing any personal information or clicking on links.
  • What to Do If You Suspect Fraud: Should you encounter any questionable or fraudulent outreach claiming to be from Anduril, please report it immediately to contact@anduril.com. Your proactive caution is invaluable in protecting your personal information and upholding the security and trustworthiness of our recruitment efforts.

Data Privacy
To view Anduril's candidate data privacy policy, please visit https://anduril.com/applicant-privacy-notice/.
By submitting your application, you consent to Anduril Industries using a third-party service provider to conduct pre-employment risk, integrity, and due diligence screening and assessing potential risks as part of your application process. This third-party service provider provides risk-intelligence services that may include analysis of sanctions and watchlists, adverse media, public-record information, and other lawful open-source or commercial data sources. This third-party service provider does not act as a consumer reporting agency. Use of this provider helps to ensure compliance with applicable laws and protect technology, intellectual property, and organizational security.

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About Anduril Industries

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Anduril Industries is a trailblazer in the technology industry based in Costa Mesa, CA, US. Founded in 2017 by Palmer Luckey, the creator of Oculus VR, the company focuses on developing innovative technology to equip and empower those in the defense sector. Its primary products include cutting-edge autonomous systems and AI software that assist in combating threats to national and global security. The mission of Anduril Industries is to integrate technology and defense by building transformative, scalable solutions that ensure a safer world.

Industry

Guided missile and space vehicle manufacturing

Company size

501 - 1,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Costa Mesa, CA, US

Year founded

2017

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