Vp Aviation & Chief Pilot

At a glance:
Lead AIRmarket's Flight Operations team as VP Aviation and Chief Pilot. Based in Edmonton, AB and reporting to the CEO, this role is an integral part of the leadership team. We are seeking a crewed-aviation pilot (commercial or higher) to build and scale routine BVLOS drone operations. Compensation starts at $100,000 CAD, with a target start date of December 1, 2026.
The RoleLeads our Flight Operations team and makes routine, scheduled BVLOS drone operations an everyday reality in Canada. This is a hands‑on leadership role for an experienced aviator who wants to be front and centre with the team every day.
You will sit on AIRmarket's leadership team, report to the CEO, and be the single point of accountability for Flight Operations. You will lead the people, run the schedule, set the safety and maintenance standard, and fly when the schedule needs you. Flight Operations delivers flight services to our customers and supports our technology team as we develop and prove new RTM services.
Building and leading the team is the heart of the job: hiring, training, scheduling and developing the pilots and crew who keep operations flying. The team currently has four pilots and is growing.
This role carries a dual mandate, serving as both the Chief Pilot and the Person Accountable for Maintenance (PAM) with Transport Canada.
Employment type : Full-time, Permanent
Location : Edmonton area, Alberta (on-site)
Reports to : CEO & Founder
Compensation : Salary based on experience. Salary range: $100,000+ CAD.
The visionWe believe drones will become a routine part of how communities stay safe and how critical infrastructure is looked after: flown on a schedule, beyond visual line of sight, safely integrated with crewed aviation. AIRmarket's flight operations combine automated drone-in-a-box systems with longer-range BVLOS aircraft, supported by our RPAS Traffic Management (RTM) and airspace surveillance services.
Our RTM services are built to support the regulatory approvals that let BVLOS operations grow in Canada, for us and for our customers.
The Flight Operations team's objective is to lead by example and show how safe, routine BVLOS operations are delivered, with a focus on public safety and industrial asset monitoring. You will lead that team and set that standard.
What you will doLead the team, every day
Be present and visible with the Flight Operations team, leading from the front on daily operations.
Serve on the leadership team as the single point of accountability for Flight Operations: safety, delivery, people and budget.
Set the department's plan, operating rhythm and measures, and report results to the CEO.
Own compliance, documentation and training (Chief Pilot)
Act as the company's technical aviation authority and its named Chief Pilot with Transport Canada.
Own the Flight Operations Manual: author, maintain, revise and control every version.
Maintain all checklists, standard operating procedures, emergency procedures and site assessment processes.
Own the training program: pilot onboarding, initial and recurrent training, currency, and complete training records.
Ensure the team conforms to every SFOC and its conditions, and to the requirements of our RPAS Operator Certificate. Interface with Transport Canada and NAV CANADA to gain the approvals and airspace authorizations our operations need.
Work directly with regulators to manage, renew and upgrade our SFOCs and to manage our RPAS Operator Certificate, keeping all required documentation audit-ready.
Apply the JARUS SORA methodology to build and maintain our SFOC applications: concept of operations, ground and air risk assessment, and the operational safety objectives and mitigations, kept current as operations change.
Run the Safety Management System: hazard reporting, risk assessments, occurrence investigations and corrective actions.
Ensure flight logs, telemetry, defects, occurrences and maintenance are recorded, and aircraft airworthiness is coordinated with maintenance.
Build and schedule the crew
Hire, qualify, mentor and manage the pilots and ground crew.
Own the crew schedule: coverage, duty-time limits, leave and backfill, so planned operations are always crewed.
Fly, schedule and bridge to the technology team
Fly operational and test missions as Pilot in Command when the schedule needs it.
Act as Flight Operations' liaison with the technology team: take its flight testing requirements for our RTM services and turn them into planned, crewed, compliant test flights.
Bring flying, scheduling and testing together, so RTM service development and customer operations run on one schedule.
Return test results, flight data and operational lessons to the technology team, and give aviation expertise to RTM service and product development.
Model the standard for planning, briefing, execution and reporting on every flight.
Support the business
Bring operational expertise to customer engagements, proposals and onboarding.
Help customers adopt BVLOS operations using AIRmarket's RTM services.
Represent AIRmarket's flight operations with customers, regulators and industry partners.
What you bring
This role needs a crewed-aviation professional. The discipline, judgment and crew leadership learned flying crewed aircraft are what we want at the head of this team.
Required
Strong crewed-aviation experience as a commercial pilot or higher, typically 2,000+ hours total time and 5+ years in commercial aviation.
Experience leading, training or supervising pilots or flight crew.
Working knowledge of the Canadian Aviation Regulations and Safety Management Systems, with experience maintaining an operations manual, training program and regulatory compliance.
Transport Canada RPAS pilot certificate (Advanced);
the Level 1 Complex Operations certificate will be obtained after hire.
Expert-level skills for piloting of small and medium-sized RPAS, including rotary and VTOL drones.
Strongly preferred
Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL), or training to ATPL level.
Instrument (IFR) rating and multi-crew, scheduled operations experience.
Experience as a line, training, or check pilot with an air operator.
Working knowledge of the JARUS SORA and how Transport Canada applies it to SFOC risk assessments.
Assets that will set you apart
Chief Pilot, Director of Flight Operations or similar accountable role with an air operator.
RPAS BVLOS or complex operations experience, including docked, automated, long-range or fixed-wing VTOL systems.
Public safety or industrial inspection flight operations experience.
Experience planning and flying test programs alongside engineering teams.
Experience managing crew schedules for recurring operations.
Experience with traffic management, airspace surveillance or detect-and-avoid systems.
Involvement in Transport Canada or NAV CANADA RPAS programs, trials or working groups.
How you lead
A working leader who flies alongside the team and sets the standard by example.
Calm, disciplined safety judgment, including the authority and willingness to stop an operation.
Clear communicator with customers, regulators, executives and crew.
Accountable for schedule, safety, quality and compliance as one.
Comfortable in a fast-growing company where everyone pitches in.
Curious about technology and comfortable troubleshooting aircraft and systems when something isn't working.
Our ideal candidate will run simulated flights for fun to understand how the aircraft parameters will affect flight performance and outcomes.Continual learning and growing your working knowledge of the RPAS and how they can and should be operated.
What we offer
A seat on the leadership team, reporting to the CEO, with real influence over how AIRmarket grows its operations business.
The chance to build a Flight Operations department from its first scheduled docked missions to long-range BVLOS at scale.
Meaningful work: the missions you fly support emergency responders and critical infrastructure operators.
Direct involvement in shaping how Canada integrates routine BVLOS drone operations into its airspace.
About AIRmarketAIRmarket is shaping the future of drone operations in Canada. As Founder and Executive Director of the Alberta RTM Trials (iART Alliance), we are driving RPAS Traffic Management innovation with Transport Canada and NAV CANADA through the national RTM Trials. Powered by our FLYsafe products, we combine hardware and software to enable BVLOS operations that meet Transport Canada regulations.
The VP Aviation & Chief Pilot will lead the people who put that technology in the air, safely and on schedule.
A note on flexibility.We want this leader on-site and with the team every day. That said, we value the experience of pilots still flying with an airline or operator, and those planning a move out of the flight deck. We are open to discussing arrangements that work around an existing flying role during the transition.
Candidates must be legally authorized to work in Canada. The successful candidate must pass personnel security screening under the Canadian Program for Cyber Security Certification (CPCSC).
We thank all applicants for their interest;
however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
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