Flight Operations Technician at Urban Sky in Denver, CO

Job description

• Onsite / Full-time / Salary
• The Flight Operations Technician is a field-based operational role responsible for the execution of Urban Sky's stratospheric balloon missions, from mission preparation and launch through tracking, recovery, and return of flight hardware.
• Flight Operations is the final operational handoff of work performed across Urban Sky. Our team is responsible for translating that work into successful missions in the real world, often far from headquarters and without immediate support. Mission focus, sound field judgment, adaptability, personal accountability, and a strong drive toward mission success are fundamental to this role.
• This is not a conventional 9-to-5 position. Flight Operations Technicians may travel extensively throughout the United States and internationally, deploy with limited notice, work consecutive days, weekends, and irregular schedules, and spend long days driving or operating in the field. Mission days of 12-16 hours can occur. Deployments may range from several days to several weeks.
• We are looking for people who find that environment motivating rather than burdensome.

Responsibilities

• Support the team wherever needed. Flight Operations is a small team. Successful operators take ownership beyond their individual assignment, communicate early, help teammates, and remain focused on the success of the overall mission.
• Own mission execution. Help plan, prepare, launch, track, recover, and close out stratospheric balloon missions with a strong sense of personal responsibility for mission success.
• Operate effectively in the field. Work independently and within a small team across remote, rural, austere, and unfamiliar environments where immediate organizational support may not always be available.
• Exercise independent field judgment. Continuously evaluate terrain, weather, roads, waterways, power lines, livestock, vehicle limitations, fatigue, public safety, and other changing conditions. Know when to continue, modify, relocate, delay, or discontinue an operation.
• Prepare beyond the checklist. Anticipate communications limitations, weather, vehicle and fuel requirements, food and water, equipment needs, access routes, recovery contingencies, and other logistical requirements before deployment.
• Launch and recover flight systems. Safely execute balloon and payload preparation, launch, chase, recovery, documentation, and return of flight hardware in accordance with procedures and mission-specific engineering direction.
• Solve problems with limited support. Develop the technical knowledge and operational judgment necessary to troubleshoot flight systems, vehicles, equipment, logistics, and changing mission conditions without depending on someone at headquarters to solve every problem.
• Operate vehicles extensively. Safely operate full-size and heavy-duty pickup trucks and other mission vehicles during long-distance deployments, off-highway access, launch operations, and balloon chase and recovery.
• Represent Urban Sky professionally. Interact appropriately with customers, military and government partners, law enforcement, landowners, and members of the public while protecting sensitive customer and company information.
• Communicate and document clearly. Maintain reliable communication during operations and accurately document mission activity, flight hardware, recovery conditions, anomalies, and field observations through written reports, photographs, video, and operational systems.

Requirements

• We will teach you Urban Sky's balloon systems and mission planning. We need you to arrive with the field experience, maturity, judgment, and mission-success mindset required to operate effectively from the start.
• Mission-first mindset. A genuine drive toward mission success and customer success, with the initiative and determination to help move a mission forward when plans change, conditions become difficult, or additional effort is required.
• Proven field experience. Meaningful experience operating in remote, rural, austere, expeditionary, military, wildland, backcountry, aviation, emergency-response, or similarly independent environments. Field acumen should already be part of what you bring to the team, not something you are learning for the first time.
• Strong situational awareness and judgment. Demonstrated ability to assess ambiguous or changing conditions, identify hazards, make sound decisions, and recognize when an original plan needs to change.
• Independent problem-solving. Ability to navigate unfamiliar environments, evaluate access routes and terrain, anticipate logistical requirements, develop contingencies, and solve problems without requiring constant direction.
• Team orientation. Ability to operate independently while contributing actively to a small, highly collaborative team where everyone is expected to pitch in beyond narrowly defined responsibilities.
• Operational resilience. Comfort with extensive travel, long driving days, irregular schedules, consecutive workdays, weekends, rapidly changing plans, and deployments lasting days to weeks.
• Fatigue and risk awareness. Ability to recognize and appropriately manage fatigue, stress, schedule pressure, weather, terrain, vehicle limitations, and other human and environmental factors that can degrade decision-making.
• Professional field presence. Ability to represent Urban Sky appropriately with customers, military and government partners, law enforcement, landowners, and the public.
• Valid driver's license with an insurable driving record and comfort operating full-size and heavy-duty pickup trucks for extended periods.
• Valid U.S. passport and comfort traveling and operating internationally.
• Basic first-aid competency and an understanding of operating where emergency response or organizational support may be delayed.
• Technical aptitude, basic hand and power-tool proficiency, computer literacy, attention to detail, and clear written and verbal communication.
• Ability to safely work outdoors for extended periods in varied terrain and weather and lift and handle mission equipment and compressed-gas cylinders up to approximately 50-80 pounds.
• Must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident
• Must be located near Denver, CO
• This position requires travel up to 100% of the time, including extended stays at remote field and launch sites, often on short notice and including weekends and holidays.
• Willingness and eagerness to work with the DoW
• Valid driver's license with an insurable driving record and comfort operating full-size and heavy-duty pickup trucks for extended periods.
• Valid U.S. passport and comfort traveling and operating internationally.
• Basic first-aid competency and an understanding of operating where emergency response or organizational support may be delayed.
• Technical aptitude, basic hand and power-tool proficiency, computer literacy, attention to detail, and clear written and verbal communication.
• Ability to safely work outdoors for extended periods in varied terrain and weather and lift and handle mission equipment and compressed-gas cylinders up to approximately 50-80 pounds.

Skills

Required

• Independent problem-solving
• Team orientation
• Operational resilience
• Fatigue and risk awareness
• Professional field presence
• Valid U.S. passport
• Basic first-aid competency
• Technical aptitude
• Basic hand and power-tool proficiency
• Computer literacy
• Attention to detail
• Clear written and verbal communication

Benefits

• Stock Options
• Medical, Vision and Dental
• Unlimited / Flexible Vacation Policy
• Cell Phone Bill Stipend
• Urban Sky is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
• 80,000 - 85,000 USD per year (Denver CO HQ)