UAS Flight Test Engineer
Flock Safety
Who is Flock?
Flock Safety is an all-in-one technology solution to eliminate crime and keep communities safe. Our intelligent platform combines the power of communities at scale - including cities, businesses, schools, and law enforcement agencies - to shape a safer future together. Our full-service, maintenance-free technology solution is trusted by communities across the country to help solve and deter crime in the pursuit of safer communities for everyone.
Our holistic public safety platform is comprehensive and intelligent, providing the actionable evidence needed to solve, deter and reduce crime across neighborhoods, schools, businesses and entire cities. Without compromising transparency or privacy, we are turning unbiased data into objective answers.
Flock strives to offer a career-defining experience where you can also make an impact on your community. While safety is a serious business, we are a supportive team that is optimizing the remote experience to create strong and fulfilling relationships even when we are physically apart. Our group of hard-working employees thrive in a positive and inclusive environment, where a bias towards action is rewarded.
We have raised over $700M in venture capital from investors including Tiger Global, Andreessen Horowitz, Matrix Partners, Bedrock Capital, Meritech Capital Partners, and Initialized Capital. Now surpassing a $7.5B valuation, Flock is scaling intentionally and seeking the best and brightest to help us meet our goal of reducing crime in the United States by 25% in the next three years.
The Opportunity
Flock Safety is seeking an experienced and passionate UAS Flight Test Engineer to join our team dedicated to advancing Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs. The ideal candidate will play a crucial role in building out and conducting technical testing of different necessary components for DFR systems. In addition to this the candidate will be piloting drones, supporting logistics, and conducting research and development to enhance our DFR capabilities. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to cutting-edge technology that saves lives and improves public safety.
This position is an on-site position in our facilities located in West Lafayette, Indiana and will require up to 25% domestic travel. The Flight Test Engineer will be an individual contributor responsible for ensuring the reliability and performance of our drone systems, and providing critical insights and improvements for our technology.
The Skillset
FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate: Required to operate drones for commercial purposes.
Hardware integration experience: Understanding of standard steps for assessing a new component for integration into a larger system. Preferably into an aircraft.
Software familiarity: Ability to work with custom software through a terminal interface. Preferred experience in Python for the ability to write and modify custom testing applications.
Strong Problem-Solving Skills and Attention to Detail: Ability to efficiently identify issues, troubleshoot, and implement effective solutions.
Strong Research Skills: Ability to stay current on emerging drone technologies and industry best practices.
Effective Communicator: Ability to convey technical information clearly to various stakeholders.
Physical Stamina: Ability to stand and be on your feet for extended periods during testing, field operations, and maintenance tasks. Capable of lifting and transporting equipment and hardware weighing up to 55 lbs.
Travel and Outdoor Work: Ability to travel as required for testing, training, and operational missions (estimated 25% travel). Ability to work outdoors over 70% of the time.
Independent and Collaborative Work: Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a startup team environment.
Customer-Focused Mindset: Ability to support internal and external stakeholders effectively.
Feeling uneasy that you haven’t ticked every box? That’s okay; we’ve felt that way too. Studies have shown women and minorities are less likely to apply unless they meet all qualifications. We encourage you to break the status quo and apply to roles that would make you excited to come to work every day.
90 Days at Flock
We are a results-oriented culture and believe job descriptions are a thing of the past. We prescribe to 90-day plans and believe that good days, lead to good weeks, which lead to good months. This serves as a preview of the 90 day plan you will receive if you were to be hired in this role at Flock Safety.
The First 30 Days
Meet the team you will be working with and learn about the safety procedures and flight testing environment for your location
Review current standard testing procedures and documentation
Learn about current equipment, aircraft, and systems
Demonstrate UAS piloting capabilities and become a confident Pilot in Command with Flock aircraft
The First 60 Days
Identify ways to improve current integration and testing efforts, and develop plans for those improvements
Begin effectively communicating test results to team members and other stakeholders
Display appropriate problem-solving and risk management skills in line with more sophisticated tasks and experimental endeavors
90 Days & Beyond
Contribute more broadly to testing write-ups, and be confident in your ability to generate reports based on longer-term accrued testing data
Contribute continuously to the testing and evaluation of new integrations and systems
The Interview Process
We want our interview process to be a true reflection of our culture: transparent and collaborative. Throughout the interview process, your recruiter will guide you through the next steps and ensure you feel prepared every step of the way.
Our First Chat: During this first conversation, you’ll meet with a recruiter to chat through your background, what you could bring to Flock, what you are looking for in your next role, and who we are.
The Hiring Manager Interview: You will meet with your potential future boss to really dive into the role, the team, expectations, and what success means at Flock. This is your chance to really nerd out with someone in your field.
The Technical Assessment: Our technical assessments seek to test the hard skills required to do the job. Engineers may find themselves in coding interviews or architecture discussions, sales roles may present mock discovery calls, and leadership roles may craft 90 day plans. Your recruiter will inform you of which assessment you will be assigned and ensure you are fully prepared for your big day.
The Panel: Learn more about the team, responsibilities, and workflows. You should be prepared to speak about past projects, how you collaborate and communicate with others, and how you live our values. Depending on the team and role you are interviewing for, you may meet with several teammates as well as cross-functional partners.
The Executive Review: A chance to meet an executive and view Flock from a different lens. Be prepared to ask well-thought-out questions about the company, culture, and more.
Salary & Equity
In this role, you’ll receive a starting salary between $70,800 and $97,350 as well as Flock Safety Stock Options. Base salary is determined by job-related experience, education/training, as well as market indicators. Your recruiter will discuss this in-depth with you during our first chat.
The Perks
🌴Flexible PTO: We seriously mean it, plus 11 company holidays.
⚕️Fully-paid health benefits plan for employees: including Medical, Dental, and Vision and an HSA match.
👪Family Leave: All employees receive 12 weeks of 100% paid parental leave. Birthing parents are eligible for an additional 6-8 weeks of physical recovery time.
🍼Fertility & Family Benefits: We have partnered with Maven, a complete digital health benefit for starting and raising a family. Flock will provide a $50,000-lifetime maximum benefit related to eligible adoption, surrogacy, or fertility expenses.
🧠Spring Health: Spring Health offers a variety of mental health benefits, including therapy, coaching, medication management, and digital tools, all tailored to each individual's needs.
💖Caregiver Support: We have partnered with Cariloop to provide our employees with caregiver support
💸Carta Tax Advisor: Employees receive 1:1 sessions with Equity Tax Advisors who can address individual grants, model tax scenarios, and answer general questions.
💚ERGs: We want all employees to thrive and feel like they belong at Flock. We offer three ERGs today - Women of Flock, Flock Proud, and Melanin Motion. If you are interested in talking to a representative from one of these, please let your recruiter know.
💻WFH Stipend: $150 per month to cover the costs of working from home.
📚Productivity Stipend: $250 per year to use on Audible, Calm, Masterclass, Duolingo, Grammarly and so much more.
🏠Home Office Stipend: A one-time $750 to help you create your dream office.
Flock is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diverse backgrounds and thoughts and welcome everyone to apply for employment with us. We are committed to fostering an environment that is inclusive, transparent, and collaborative. Mutual respect is central to how Flock operates, and we believe the best solutions come from diverse perspectives, experiences, and skills. We embrace our differences and know that we are stronger working together.
If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please email us at recruiting@flocksafety.com. This information will be treated as confidential and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the interview process.
At Flock Safety, we compensate our employees fairly for their work. Base salary is determined by job-related experience, education/training, as well as market indicators. The range above is representative of base salary only and does not include equity, sales bonus plans (when applicable) and benefits. This range may be modified in the future. This job posting may span more than one career level.
