RPAS Pilot & Flight Operations Specialist

Priority will be given to the following designated employment equity groups: women, Indigenous Peoples* (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), persons with disabilities and racialized persons*.

* The Employment Equity Act, which is under review, uses the terminology Aboriginal peoples and visible minorities.

Candidates are asked to self-declare when applying to this hiring process.

OrganizationalUnit: Aerospace

Classification: TO-5

Language Requirements: English or French

Work arrangements: Due to the nature of the work and operational requirements, this position may be eligible for a limited hybrid work arrangement (combination of working onsite and telework).

Discover the possible

Defence Industrial Strategy

The NRC has an important role within the Government of Canada's Defence Industrial Strategy , accelerating research and innovation, and helping Canadian businesses develop leading-edge technologies for civilian and military use.

With expertise across fields such as transportation, quantum science, medical countermeasures and advanced manufacturing, the NRC is hiring to drive the development of national sovereign defence capabilities. The following role will support the NRC’s contributions to defence priorities.

The role

We are looking for anRPAS Pilot – Flight Operations Specialist to support advanced research and development and join the Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) and RPAS Traffic Management (RTM) team within the Centre for Drone Innovation (CDI) in Mirabel. The recent CDI is part of the Aerospace Research Centre’s Drone and Flight Autonomy Lab. It will strengthen Canada’s ability to research, develop,



test and validate advanced drone technologies.

The successful candidate would be someone who shares our core values of Integrity, Excellence, Respect, and Creativity.

Working with a multidisciplinary team of engineers, technicians and researchers, the RPAS Pilot will support experimental aircraft integration, flight‑test campaigns and operational demonstrations. The role includes responsibility for operational planning, flight safety, regulatory compliance and coordination of flight activities supporting research and technology development.

The role will contribute to the safe and efficient operation of experimental RPAS platforms while supporting research activities in autonomy, sensor integration, communications and mission systems.

Screening criteria

Applicants must demonstrate within the content of their application that they meet the following screening criteria in order to be given further consideration as candidates:

Education

College diploma or bachelor’s degree in aviation, aerospace technologies, robotics, engineering or a related discipline.

- Valid Transport Canada Advanced RPAS Pilot Certificate;
- A Private Pilot License (PPL) or Glider Pilot License (GPL) and/or Commercial Pilot License (CPL) would be considered an asset .

Experience





- Significant experience operating remotely piloted aircraft systems in operational, research or testing environments;
- Experience planning and executing aviation or RPAS flight operations including mission planning and operational risk management;
- Experience coordinating aviation operations with engineering or research teams in multidisciplinary technical environments; and
- Experience developing operational procedures, flight test plans or aviation safety documentation

Experience listed below would be considered an asset, but not mandatory to the position:

- Experience supporting experimental aircraft development or technology demonstrations;
- Experience conducting operations in controlled airspace and/or beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS);
- Experience supporting flight test engineering activities;
- Experience operating military RPAS;
- Battlefield experience.

Condition of employment

A thorough security clearance process will be applied.

For a Secret Clearance, verification of background information over a period of 10 years is required. Individuals must have lived in Canada for a sufficient period of time to enable the security screening process.

Candidates will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

- Ability to remotely pilot, follow flight test plans and operate various types of RPAS, including fixed-wing, helicopter and multi-copter platforms to gather experimental flight data for validation and demonstrate novel applications;
- Ability to adapt to unpredictable circumstances and complete the mission safely;
- Knowledge of RPAS flight operations, avi

📌 RPAS Pilot (Montreal)
🏢 National Research Council of Canada
📍 Montreal