Senior V-BAT Air Vehicle Operator, Deployed Operations Site Lead

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.

For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube

Job description

The Senior Air Vehicle Operator (AVO) – Deployment Operations is responsible for executing and leading V-BAT flight operations in support of DoD and foreign customers in both land-based and maritime OCONUS environments. This is an operationally focused role requiring strong aviation judgment, disciplined execution, and the ability to lead small teams in austere and high-visibility conditions.

The Senior AVO is responsible for leading mission planning activities, performing comprehensive risk assessments, delivering pre-mission briefings, executing flight operations, and conducting structured post-flight debriefs. This role includes conducting Functional Check Flights (FCFs) and system validation as required, ensuring aircraft configuration control and logbook accuracy, coordinating with maintenance to sustain fleet readiness, and supporting overall operational discipline.