*This is a field-based, nomadic role that can be relocated at any point in time in the service territory.
Job Title: Drone Pilot – T&D
Location: California (Sacramento area)
Division: Operations
Department: Field Operations - US
Reports to: Lead Pilot
Salary Range: $31.08 - $37.95/hour
Employee Status: Seasonal
Classification: Non-exempt
About the Team:
As a Drone Pilot, you'll be an essential part of our field operations team, working alongside other skilled field staff who are passionate about using cutting-edge technology to deliver top-tier solutions for our customers. You'll collaborate closely with the team to ensure precise data collection, safe operations, and successful project outcomes and productivity. Our team thrives on innovation, problem-solving, and attention to detail, with a strong focus on safety, quality and efficiency in the field.
About the Role:
As a Drone Pilot for the Transmission and Distribution (T&D) sector, you will report to a Lead Pilot and work on our PG&E customer project based in Northern California. This role includes frequent relocations to various regions of California as needs arise, and you may be relocated to other projects outside of California on occasion. This job is physically demanding and involves regular outdoor work which may be both onshore and offshore. Candidates who are invited for an interview will be subject to a flight skills assessment using a small multi-rotor trainer aircraft. If you enjoy a nomadic lifestyle, this job is for you!
We currently employ 3 levels of drone pilots. Every new hire will start at our base level and will be subject to a 45-day performance review period to determine their appropriate level.
Every employee at Cyberhawk is expected to demonstrate and foster the 5 core values, along with the overarching value of ‘Nae Drama’, that encourage a positive culture within Cyberhawk:
- One Team
- Open and Humble
- Hungry to Grow
- Show up and Have Fun
- Own it And Solve It
Job Responsibilities:
Flight Operations
- Conduct UAS operations as Pilot in Command (PIC) across multiple platforms, payloads, and environments while adhering to all applicable regulations and company Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
- Perform all pre-flight, in-flight, and post-flight procedures to ensure safe, efficient, and compliant mission execution.
- Manage post-operation tasks including secure data handover, equipment care, and accurate flight documentation.
- Log daily operations using Cyberhawk’s work pack management system and ensure all mission details are captured accurately.
Flight Safety & Risk Management
- Maintain constant situational awareness and enforce safe operating practices to mitigate risk to personnel, equipment, and the public.
- Apply dynamic risk assessment techniques to adapt to changing weather, terrain, or operational conditions.
- Verify airspace, environmental, and site-specific hazards prior to flight and adjust plans as needed to ensure safety.
- Champion Cyberhawk’s safety-first culture by modeling safe behaviors and supporting continuous improvement in field safety practices.
- Interact with homeowners and landowners and represent Cyberhawk well in the field, effectively communicating the purpose of the inspection work and de-escalating where required.
Mission Planning & Preparation
- Support job preparation including RAMS (Risk Assessment and Method Statement) development, site reviews, equipment readiness, and travel planning.
- Coordinate with the Lead Pilot to ensure proper implementation of SOPs across all operational phases.
- Assist in the evaluation of operational efficiency and provide feedback to improve workflow, data quality, and field performance.
Field Leadership & Collaboration
- Communicate effectively with team members, customers, and third parties while maintaining professionalism and operational integrity.
- Provide mentorship and operational support to less experienced crew members when required.
- Represent Cyberhawk positively in the field, supporting productive customer interactions and contributing to a safe, high-performing team environment.
Other Duties
- Support additional tasks as assigned to ensure successful project execution.
- Uphold Cyberhawk’s values in all interactions and operational decisions.
- Other duties as assigned
Job Requirements:
- Hold valid and current Part 107 license
- Hold valid Driver’s License
- Previous drone flying experience, preferably on Transmission and Distribution (T&D) assets, and ability to learn advanced flying skills
- Excellent communication skills and problem-solving abilities
- Ability to effectively work in a team environment, maintaining reliability and respect with teammates
- Professional approach to dynamic risk management and mitigation
- Demonstrative ability to operate complex equipment in accordance with SOPs
- Safety-conscious with the ability to operate safely in a diverse and high-pressure environment
- Experience with customer relations, including face to face interactions
- Highly computer literate
- Comfortability with a nomadic lifestyle
- Physical requirements:
- Prolonged periods of standing in outdoor environments
- Able to work occasional 10+ hour workdays and weekends
- Able to visually track a UAS unassisted (corrective lenses acceptable)
- Able to kneel, crouch, and walk on uneven terrain
- Must be able to lift up to 35 lbs.
- Ability to maintain focus and situational awareness
Bonus Experience:
- Hold an active TWIC card
- Knowledge of photography
- Knowledge of airspace management
- Knowledge/experience of oil & gas, utilities, or renewables industries
- Aware of current FAA regulations
- LiDAR collection experience
Additional Details:
- Eligibility to live and work in the US with high fluency in English.
- Valid Driver’s License required
- This is a nomadic position and can be relocated within the applicable service territory at any point in time and may require occasional weekend and/or holiday work.
- This position is eligible for per diems when away from your permanent residence
- The successful candidate will be required to complete a criminal background check and motor vehicle check during the onboarding process.
Company US Benefits:
- Employee medical, dental and vision insurance paid for 100% by the company
- Basic life insurance, short-term disability and long-term disability covered 100% by the company
- Other voluntary health benefits – hospital, accident, critical illness and voluntary life insurance
- Paid company holidays, Flexible PTO, and Sick time
- 401k with a 5% company match
- Mobile phone allowance
- Monthly adventure draw
- Employee Referral Program
About Cyberhawk
Founded in 2008, Cyberhawk™ is the first company in the world to use drones to inspect industrial assets. Cyberhawk’s world-class pilots and inspection engineers complete hundreds of thousands of UAS inspections per year, for 300+ customers across 40 countries.
Today, the Cyberhawk team continues to lead the way in close visual inspections of critical assets, including electrical grids, power generation sites, oil and gas structures and capital-intensive industrial construction projects – while always putting safety at the forefront of our operational excellence.
Using Cyberhawk’s intuitive, cloud-based visualization software platform, iHawk™, we consolidate diverse sources of inspection data to provide a single source of truth for assets at any scale and translate these findings into actions. We are experts at finding defects in critical energy infrastructure which can impact the environment and the communities our customers serve, and we deliver solutions which are critical to our customers’ ability to document capital intensive industrial sites.
Cyberhawk is changing the way our industry has operated for 75 years by empowering our customers to harness the full power of their data and visual assets, both integrating into workflows, and sharing this information across their enterprises. This leads to better decisions, faster, saving our customers hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.
Cyberhawk, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values equality, diversity, and an inclusive work environment.