University of Florida
UF/IFAS UAS Fleet Manager
Classification Title:
Engineering & Research Technologist
Classification Minimum Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area and one year of relevant experience.
Responsibilities
Lead UAS operations: develop standard operational protocol, checklists, and a safety management framework; ensure compliance with FAA Part 107, airspace authorizations and waivers, and university/state/federal policies.
Mission planning and execution: select platforms and payloads (RGB, multispectral, thermal, hyperspectral, lidar), coordinate with technicians to design flight plans to meet spatial/spectral/temporal requirements, coordinate ground control/RTK-PPK, and conduct flights statewide as needed.
Fleet management: maintain inventory, lifecycle, firmware, and maintenance logs; manage batteries and charging; standardize configurations; recommend and procure equipment to meet evolving research needs.
Compliance and risk management: conduct risk assessments, site surveys, and deconfliction with agricultural operations and environmental constraints; manage incident reporting and corrective actions; uphold privacy and ethical guidelines.
Administration: track project metrics, timelines, and costs; provide regular updates to stakeholders; contribute to strategic planning for UAS capabilities within IFAS.
Develop and deliver experiential learning opportunities for faculty, staff, and students on UAS safety, mission planning, and data processing; mentor student assistants and pilots.
Data Management
Data processing and QA/QC: produce orthomosaics, DSM/DTM, point clouds, canopy height models, vegetation index and thermal maps; perform lidar strip alignment, classification, and accuracy assessment; generate metadata and accuracy reports suitable for publication and grant documentation.
Data stewardship: implement reproducible workflows and versioning; organize storage, backup, and sharing; ensure data/metadata meet FAIR principles and UF data governance standards.
Research Collaboration
Consult with faculty to translate research questions into collection plans; advise on sensor/flight parameters and sampling design; coordinate timelines; support grant proposals with methods language, budgets, and letters of support; co-author methods and data papers where appropriate.
Salary $75,000–$85,000, commensurate with education and experience.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area and one year of relevant experience.
Active FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and a clean flight safety record.
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel within Florida.
Ability to work in field conditions (hot/cold conditions, uneven terrain) and lift equipment up to 40 lbs.
Preferred Qualifications
Graduate degree in a relevant field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
3+ years of hands‑on UAS field operations, including mission planning, airspace authorization, and safe flight execution in diverse field conditions.
Demonstrated experience conducting research with UAS‑based remote sensing in agriculture or natural resources, including experimental design and documentation.
Proficiency processing UAS imagery and lidar into research‑grade deliverables using tools such as Pix4D, LAStools/Terrasolid/CloudCompare/PDAL, ArcGIS Pro/QGIS, and Python or R for workflow automation and QA/QC.
Experience with GNSS RTK/PPK workflows, ground control, accuracy assessment, and metadata standards.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills; ability to translate researcher needs into actionable data collection plans and clearly document methods and results.
Experience with multispectral/hyperspectral sensors, thermal cameras, and research‑grade lidar payloads; familiarity with sensor calibration and boresight/lever‑arm characterization.
Experience establishing a UAS safety program (operational protocols, checklists, risk assessments) and managing a multi‑platform fleet (multirotor, fixed‑wing/vertical‑take‑off‑and‑landing systems).
Prior success supporting multi‑investigator projects, contributing to grant proposals, and co‑authoring peer‑reviewed publications or data papers.
Familiarity with scripting and reproducible pipelines (Python, R, Bash) and handling large datasets using institutional storage or cloud environments.
Relevant waivers/authorizations (night operations, ops over people) or demonstrated ability to obtain them.
Special Instructions To Applicants In order to be considered, you must upload your cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references.
Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.
Health Assessment Required: Yes
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Engineering & Research Technologist
Classification Minimum Requirements:
Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area and one year of relevant experience.
Responsibilities
Lead UAS operations: develop standard operational protocol, checklists, and a safety management framework; ensure compliance with FAA Part 107, airspace authorizations and waivers, and university/state/federal policies.
Mission planning and execution: select platforms and payloads (RGB, multispectral, thermal, hyperspectral, lidar), coordinate with technicians to design flight plans to meet spatial/spectral/temporal requirements, coordinate ground control/RTK-PPK, and conduct flights statewide as needed.
Fleet management: maintain inventory, lifecycle, firmware, and maintenance logs; manage batteries and charging; standardize configurations; recommend and procure equipment to meet evolving research needs.
Compliance and risk management: conduct risk assessments, site surveys, and deconfliction with agricultural operations and environmental constraints; manage incident reporting and corrective actions; uphold privacy and ethical guidelines.
Administration: track project metrics, timelines, and costs; provide regular updates to stakeholders; contribute to strategic planning for UAS capabilities within IFAS.
Develop and deliver experiential learning opportunities for faculty, staff, and students on UAS safety, mission planning, and data processing; mentor student assistants and pilots.
Data Management
Data processing and QA/QC: produce orthomosaics, DSM/DTM, point clouds, canopy height models, vegetation index and thermal maps; perform lidar strip alignment, classification, and accuracy assessment; generate metadata and accuracy reports suitable for publication and grant documentation.
Data stewardship: implement reproducible workflows and versioning; organize storage, backup, and sharing; ensure data/metadata meet FAIR principles and UF data governance standards.
Research Collaboration
Consult with faculty to translate research questions into collection plans; advise on sensor/flight parameters and sampling design; coordinate timelines; support grant proposals with methods language, budgets, and letters of support; co-author methods and data papers where appropriate.
Salary $75,000–$85,000, commensurate with education and experience.
Required Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in an appropriate area and one year of relevant experience.
Active FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate and a clean flight safety record.
Valid driver’s license and ability to travel within Florida.
Ability to work in field conditions (hot/cold conditions, uneven terrain) and lift equipment up to 40 lbs.
Preferred Qualifications
Graduate degree in a relevant field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
3+ years of hands‑on UAS field operations, including mission planning, airspace authorization, and safe flight execution in diverse field conditions.
Demonstrated experience conducting research with UAS‑based remote sensing in agriculture or natural resources, including experimental design and documentation.
Proficiency processing UAS imagery and lidar into research‑grade deliverables using tools such as Pix4D, LAStools/Terrasolid/CloudCompare/PDAL, ArcGIS Pro/QGIS, and Python or R for workflow automation and QA/QC.
Experience with GNSS RTK/PPK workflows, ground control, accuracy assessment, and metadata standards.
Excellent communication and collaboration skills; ability to translate researcher needs into actionable data collection plans and clearly document methods and results.
Experience with multispectral/hyperspectral sensors, thermal cameras, and research‑grade lidar payloads; familiarity with sensor calibration and boresight/lever‑arm characterization.
Experience establishing a UAS safety program (operational protocols, checklists, risk assessments) and managing a multi‑platform fleet (multirotor, fixed‑wing/vertical‑take‑off‑and‑landing systems).
Prior success supporting multi‑investigator projects, contributing to grant proposals, and co‑authoring peer‑reviewed publications or data papers.
Familiarity with scripting and reproducible pipelines (Python, R, Bash) and handling large datasets using institutional storage or cloud environments.
Relevant waivers/authorizations (night operations, ops over people) or demonstrated ability to obtain them.
Special Instructions To Applicants In order to be considered, you must upload your cover letter, resume, and a list of three professional references.
Application must be submitted by 11:55 p.m. (ET) of the posting end date.
Health Assessment Required: Yes
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