Flight Ops Technician
Shield AI is hiring a Flight Ops Technician in Lviv, Ukraine. Level rates it ; you can apply on Shield AI.
Level's read on this job
- On Level's scale, this role is Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
- Tools and skills the posting cites include 3d Printing, avionics and hardware integration.
- Level classifies it as a senior role.
- Level lists 651 other open roles at Shield AI.
- The role was posted within the past two weeks.
AI in this role
Build, modify, and test prototype unmanned aircraft systems and related test infrastructure as a senior technician.
The Flight Ops Technician III is a senior, hands-on technical role supporting the development, testing, and operation of unmanned aircraft systems in Ukraine. The role bridges aircraft prototyping, hardware integration, HIL/ground testing, aircraft maintenance, and field flight operations, working closely with hardware, software, autonomy, and flight-test teams.
The technician will build and modify prototype aircraft, integrate avionics and electrical systems, fabricate parts using 3D printing and other rapid-prototyping methods, and troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level issues. They will also build, maintain, and troubleshoot HIL rigs and related test infrastructure, help establish and maintain a local prototyping and flight-operations lab, and support aircraft readiness and field testing.
This role is best suited for a versatile, self-sufficient senior technician who can move seamlessly between the lab, aircraft, HIL environment, and flight-test site—rapidly solving problems and helping engineering teams get systems ready for test and flight.
Flight Ops Technician III.
What You'll Do:
- Build, modify, assemble, maintain, and repair prototype unmanned aircraft and related test systems.
- Install and integrate avionics, sensors, compute hardware, radios, antennas, payloads, wiring, and other experimental hardware.
- Fabricate prototype and replacement components using 3D printing, hand and power tools, and other rapid-prototyping methods.
- Build, modify, and troubleshoot wiring harnesses, connectors, electrical assemblies, and aircraft electrical systems.
- Build, wire, configure, maintain, and troubleshoot HIL rigs, test fixtures, and related engineering test infrastructure.
- Integrate flight computers, avionics, sensors, actuators, communications equipment, and other aircraft hardware into HIL and bench-test environments.
- Diagnose mechanical, electrical, avionics, communications, networking, and system-level issues across aircraft and test equipment.
- Support SIL, HIL, VIL, bench, ground, and live-flight testing, including aircraft functional checks and troubleshooting.
- Perform aircraft inspections, maintenance, repairs, configuration changes, and pre- and post-flight activities.
- Help establish and maintain a local prototyping and flight-operations lab, including tools, test equipment, fabrication equipment, spares, batteries, and support equipment.
- Support flight operations, including aircraft setup, launch and recovery, test-site setup and teardown, and preparation of equipment for field deployments.
- Maintain aircraft, test-system, maintenance, configuration, inventory, and other technical documentation.
- Work closely with hardware, software, autonomy, and flight-test engineers to rapidly diagnose problems, implement modifications, and improve test capabilities.
- Transport personnel and equipment to test sites and travel within Ukraine to support testing, demonstrations, and operations.
- Mentor less-experienced technicians and maintain high standards for workmanship, configuration control, organization, and safety.
Required Qualifications:
- 5+ years of hands-on experience in UAS, aviation, aerospace, robotics, electronics, manufacturing, test support, or a related technical field.
- Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude with experience building, modifying, maintaining, or repairing complex electromechanical systems.
- Experience integrating hardware into aircraft, robotics, prototypes, test systems, or comparable platforms.
- Hands-on electrical experience, including wiring, connectors, soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, and electrical troubleshooting.
- Experience building, maintaining, or troubleshooting HIL rigs, test stands, test fixtures, or similar hardware/software integration environments.
- Ability to read and work from mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and engineering documentation
- Experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication, and iterative hardware development.
- Ability to systematically troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level problems.
- Experience using common mechanical and electrical tools and test equipment.
- Experience supporting engineering, ground, flight, or field testing.
- Strong attention to detail, workmanship, safety, and configuration control.
- Ability to work independently and solve technical problems in fast-moving workshop, laboratory, flight-line, and field environments.
- Valid driver's license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites.
- Ability to travel within Ukraine as required.
Required Qualifications:
- * 5+ years of hands-on experience in UAS, aviation, aerospace, robotics, electronics, manufacturing, test support, or a related technical field.
* Strong mechanical and electrical aptitude with experience building, modifying, maintaining, or repairing complex electromechanical systems.
* Experience integrating hardware into aircraft, robotics, prototypes, test systems, or comparable platforms.
* Hands-on electrical experience, including wiring, connectors, soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, and electrical troubleshooting.
* Experience building, maintaining, or troubleshooting HIL rigs, test stands, test fixtures, or similar hardware/software integration environments.
* Ability to read and work from mechanical drawings, wiring diagrams, schematics, and engineering documentation.
* Experience with rapid prototyping, fabrication, and iterative hardware development.
* Ability to systematically troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, communications, and system-level problems.
* Experience using common mechanical and electrical tools and test equipment.
* Experience supporting engineering, ground, flight, or field testing.
* Strong attention to detail, workmanship, safety, and configuration control.
* Ability to work independently and solve technical problems in fast-moving workshop, laboratory, flight-line, and field environments.
* Valid driver's license and ability to transport equipment and personnel to operational sites.
* Ability to travel within Ukraine as required.
Preferred Qualifications:
- * Experience maintaining or integrating fixed-wing and multirotor UAS.
* Experience with autonomous or experimental aircraft and Group 1 or Group 2 UAS.
* Experience building or maintaining HIL environments for aircraft, robotics, or autonomous systems.
* Experience with 3D printing, CAD, and prototype part fabrication.
* Experience integrating avionics, flight computers, sensors, actuators, radios, antennas, or payload systems.
* Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or similar flight-control systems.
* Familiarity with Ground Control Stations, telemetry, RF systems, datalinks, and networking.
* Familiarity with Linux, command-line tools, scripting, or basic software troubleshooting.
* Experience using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, power supplies, or similar electrical test equipment.
* Experience establishing or maintaining an engineering lab, prototype shop, HIL lab, or flight-operations facility.
* Background in defense, aerospace, robotics, aircraft maintenance, manufacturing, or flight test.
* Experience working in austere or rapidly changing field environments.
* Ukrainian and English language proficiency.
How we rate this
Flight Ops Technician at Shield AI rates 0 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Little AI. AI is not part of the work.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where avionics was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where hardware integration was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where hardware testing was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where maintenance was part of your work. What did you do?
- Walk me through how you've used 3d Printing in your day-to-day work.
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Avionics, Hardware Integration, Hardware Testing, Maintenance, and 3d Printing. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
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