Field Service Engineer

Job DetailsJob Location: Torrance, CA 90503Salary Range: $110,000.00 - $137,000.00 SalaryPosition Summary




FlightWave, a wholly owned subsidiary of Red Cat Holdings, is seeking a Flight Service Engineer to serve as the focal point between engineering and sales/training teams—including supporting pre-sales capability discussions, in-depth technical Q&A, Tier-2 post-sales support, and field deployments of our advanced UAS platforms.

This role is highly cross-functional, supporting both business development and engineering by providing authoritative answers to detailed, multi-part customer inquiries. The ideal candidate combines strong UAS engineering fundamentals with real-world mission understanding, including how small unmanned systems fit into broader CONOPS and how warfighters and mission operators employ our platforms in the field. You will be hands-on with aircraft, payloads, radios, mapping workflows, and mission execution, ensuring customers receive accurate guidance and mission-ready support.




Essential Duties and Responsibilities





Serve as the primary technical focal point for engineering support to BD, answering complex, multi-part product capability questions with clarity and engineering-level depth.
Intake, track, and round up technical SME responses to customer Q&A, providing concise actionable responses to technical questions.
Translate mission profiles and user requirements into recommended configurations informed by operational constraints and real-world CONOPS.
Support deliveries, field evaluations, integration events, major demonstrations, and customer acceptance activities—ensuring all systems are fully mission-ready.
Provide Tier-2 technical support, assisting customers and internal teams with advanced troubleshooting across airframes, avionics, radios, networking, payloads, and software.
Deploy to customer locations to conduct fleet maintenance, upgrades, configuration changes, and on-site service operations.
Execute operational mission flights for ISR, overwatch, mapping, and specialized payload operations in support of defense and public safety users.
Lead drone mapping workflows, including:

Mission planning for 2D and 3D mapping
Orthomosaic generation and photogrammetry
Structure-from-Motion (SfM) and 3D reconstruction
Assessment of mapping accuracy, coverage, and data-product quality


Capture and document field findings to inform engineering teams, drive corrective actions, and improve product robustness.
Support (but not solely own) customer training events in coordination with the flight training team.
Ensure all flight and field operations comply with FAA Part 107, organizational safety procedures, and mission risk assessments.





Required Qualifications





Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace, Geomatics/GIS, or a related technical discipline.
Minimum 3-7 years of hands-on experience with UAS platforms, including configuration, troubleshooting, and flight operations.
Extremely strong written and verbal communication skills.  The ability to distill complex SME input into actionable customer-oriented responses.
Demonstrated expertise in drone mapping workflows: orthomosaics, photogrammetry, and 3D reconstruction/SfM (e.g., Pix4D, DroneDeploy, Metashape).
Strong understanding of defense or public-safety operational environments and how small UAS integrate into mission planning and CONOPS.
Excellent technical communication skills; able to clearly explain system capabilities to warfighters, operators, and technical evaluators.
FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate (or ability to obtain).
Willingness and ability to travel frequently for field support, demos, and customer operations.





Additional Desired Qualifications





Prior military experience – especially in aviation, ISR, UAS operations, or technical roles supporting warfighters – is strongly preferred.
Familiarity with PX4, ArduPilot, and common GCS environments such as QGroundControl or Mission Planner.
Experience working with tactical radios, mesh networking systems, or secure datalinks.
Hands-on mechanical/electrical troubleshooting skills relevant to small UAS.
Background in flight testing, system validation, or environmental qualification.





Physical Requirements and Working Conditions





Ability to lift, carry, and transport equipment and UAV systems up to 50 lbs.
Ability to stand, walk, kneel, or crouch for extended periods during field operations.
Capable of performing hands-on maintenance and troubleshooting in confined or awkward spaces.
Visual acuity sufficient to inspect small components, read instruments, and monitor flight operations.
Ability to operate in outdoor environments, including hot, cold, or inclement weather conditions.
Comfort working on boats, ships, and other maritime platforms.





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