--- title: 'Pilot at Poseidon Aerospace' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/pilot-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-7r9ygx47zmpp' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-07' --- # Pilot at Poseidon Aerospace - **Company:** Poseidon Aerospace - **Location:** Alameda - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** onsite - **Posted:** 2026-09-05 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/poseidonaero/3ff5bc30-2324-4672-89fb-aa42877bcd6f ## Job description ## ABOUT POSEIDON AEROSPACE: Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining how the world moves goods. We build and operate full-size autonomous cargo aircraft - capable of carrying two tons of payload over a thousand nautical miles. From remote communities to contested logistics operations, our platforms unlock a new cost curve for air freight, making it faster, cheaper, and accessible anywhere it's needed. Headquartered in the San Francisco Bay Area with locations in Washington DC, Oregon, and Maine; we're building something consequential. As a Pilot at Poseidon Aerospace, you will serve as the Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC) for our next-generation autonomous aircraft. Flying is your primary function, you own the aircraft from preflight to post-flight, and when you're not in the air, you're supporting the test team on the ground to make sure the next flight is ready to go. This role is for pilots first. You bring deep UAS operational experience, sharp situational awareness, and the discipline to run repeatable test operations safely. The engineering curiosity is a bonus, stick time is the foundation. ## FLYING RESPONSIBILITIES - Serve as RPIC for all Poseidon aircraft during developmental flight testing and operational demonstrations - Execute flight test cards with precision, maintaining awareness of vehicle state, airspace, and test objectives throughout each sortie - Lead preflight briefings and postflight debriefings with the test team - Conduct flight readiness reviews and make go/no-go decisions based on aircraft status, weather, and airspace conditions - Maintain and apply SOPs, emergency checklists, and crew resource management practices on every flight - Provide structured debrief reports including anomalies, out-of-limits observations, and qualitative flight assessment ## GROUND SUPPORT RESPONSIBILITIES When not flying, you'll work alongside the test team to keep operations moving. - Support ground operations, range setup, and communications infrastructure for test campaigns - Assist in developing and maintaining flight test plans, SOPs, and operational documentation - Coordinate airspace authorizations, COA applications, and range scheduling - Review flight data logs to flag anomalies and provide pilot perspective to engineering teams - Help configure and verify aircraft systems prior to flight, working alongside avionics and propulsion engineers - Contribute to the development of operational concepts for autonomous and remote-piloted missions ## REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS - Demonstrated experience as RPIC for UAS or RPAS platforms in operational or test environments - FAA Part 107 certification; familiarity with COA processes and experimental aircraft operations - FAA Part 61 or Part 141 certificated pilot (Private, Commercial, or ATP) with multi-engine privileges - Strong working knowledge of airspace coordination, mission planning, and preflight risk assessment - Ability to execute disciplined, repeatable test operations in dynamic field environments - Clear, structured communicator — comfortable leading briefs and debriefs with mixed engineering and operations audiences - At ease with evolving aircraft configurations and startup-level operational tempo ## BONUS POINTS FOR - RPIC experience on large or complex UAS platforms (Group 3–5, e.g., Reaper, Global Hawk, or comparable) - Familiarity with telemetry systems, GCS interfaces, and autopilot behavior in test configurations - Experience supporting field test campaigns for new or developmental aircraft platforms - Exposure to flight test instrumentation, data logging, or postflight analysis workflows - Knowledge of simulation environments used for mission rehearsal or systems testing - Aerospace, systems, or mechanical engineering background ## WHAT YOU GET FROM US - Competitive salary and meaningful early-stage equity - Relocation support if applicable - Employee Health Benefit Plans - 6% Retirement matching - Flexible PTO - Free lunches, snacks, and a stocked fridge at our offices - AI tools and subscriptions ## About Poseidon Aerospace ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Poseidon Aerospace is reimagining logistics with autonomous aircraft built to move goods faster, cheaper, and anywhere they are needed, fundamentally changing the cost curve for air freight. - **Entity Type**: Private (Startup) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States - **Founded**: Not publicly available - **Founders**: David Zagaynov (CEO) ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Aerospace, Aviation, and Defense Logistics - **Target customers**: Government/Defense (military logistics), Commercial logistics providers, and Enterprise supply chains - **Mission**: To make air logistics as affordable and flexible as possible by driving the cost per ton-mile down to levels never before achieved in aviation, building the unmanned backbone of tomorrow's logistics. ## Products & Services - **Seagull (Unmanned Cargo Aircraft)**: An autonomous, unmanned cargo drone designed to lift two tons. The aircraft is a seaplane, requiring no airports or runways—only water—to operate. This unlocks millions of miles of navigable waterways for logistics. The platform is built from the ground up as a clean-sheet design, leveraging composites and advanced manufacturing. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available - **Total Funding**: $12.4 million USD - **Funding Rounds**: - Pre-Seed: Led by Starship Ventures (1 investor) - Seed (2025-01-01): $1.4M from 2 investors - Seed (2025-11-01): $11.0M from 7 investors, led by Tamarack Global - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Tamarack Global (Lead), Starship Ventures, Sean Hoge (Lead Investor) - **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew +366.7% year-over-year to 20 employees; actively hiring for high-impact roles; secured a partnership with Northeastern’s Roux Institute and their National Security Innovation Hub to expand presence in Maine; FY2026 NDAA includes a provision for a pilot program for contracted amphibious aircraft, validating the market. ## Competitive Advantages - **Seaplane Design**: The aircraft requires no airports or runways, only water, unlocking millions of miles of navigable waterways and making logistics possible in remote, contested, or infrastructure-poor regions. - **Cost Curve Disruption**: By driving down the cost per flight-ton-mile, Poseidon aims to make air cargo as affordable as ground or maritime transport, a fundamental shift in logistics economics. - **Defense & Government Focus**: The company is strategically aligned with U.S. national security priorities, specifically "contested logistics" as highlighted by the Department of Defense, giving it a clear and funded customer base. - **Speed & Agility**: As a small, focused team (20 employees), the company claims to move with immense speed, building clean-sheet autonomous planes from scratch using advanced composites and manufacturing techniques. ## Strategic Focus - **Scaling the Team**: Actively hiring across engineering, operations, and government relations to support rapid growth (headcount up +366.7% YoY). - **Government & Defense Contracts**: Winning contracts is a core focus, with a dedicated Proposal Lead role and a Director of Government Relations position. The company is positioning itself to be a key player in the U.S. military's "contested logistics" strategy. - **Expanding Manufacturing & Presence**: Partnering with Northeastern’s Roux Institute in Maine to build a presence in a region with a deep aerospace heritage and access to a national security innovation hub. - **Product Development**: Building and iterating on the "Seagull" unmanned cargo aircraft, with a focus on composites and clean-sheet design. ## Why Work Here - **High-Impact, Early-Stage Environment**: The company has grown from 4 to 20 people in a short period, offering the chance to build foundational systems and processes from the ground up. - **Cutting-Edge Technology**: Work on clean-sheet autonomous aircraft, advanced composites, and manufacturing engineering in a fast-paced, iterative environment. - **Mission-Driven**: The work directly impacts national security and global logistics, with a clear, compelling mission to make air cargo as affordable as ground transport. - **Culture & Perks**: On-site work in San Francisco, CA. The company emphasizes a "punch above its weight" culture with a focus on engineering excellence and speed. Active hiring for high-impact roles across engineering, operations, and government relations. - **Recent Growth**: The team has grown from 4 to 20 people in a short period, offering significant ownership and career growth opportunities for early employees. ## Sources 1. [poseidonaero.com](https://www.poseidonaero.com/) 2. [LinkedIn - Poseidon Aerospace](https://www.linkedin.com/company/poseidon-aerospace) 3. [Built In - Poseidon Aerospace](https://builtin.com/company/poseidon-aerospace) 4. [Ashby - Poseidon Aerospace Jobs](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/poseidonaero) ## Other roles at Poseidon Aerospace - [Senior Recruiter](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-recruiter-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-8n3y3p2ks94f) — Alameda - [Propulsion Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/propulsion-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-j764pv1hrkqc) — Alameda - [Proposal Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/proposal-lead-poseidon-aerospace-washington-fy2rdhdr2w3v) — Washington, DC - [Operations Associate](https://feeny.ai/job/operations-associate-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-b79xt48vnsjy) — Alameda - [Mechanical Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-pr6p7816nv70) — Alameda - [Manufacturing Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/manufacturing-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-5gqg860wyvxs) — Alameda - [Maine Composites Bridge](https://feeny.ai/job/maine-composites-bridge-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-dpk4eetefz67) — Alameda - [Lead Mechanical Engineer, Airframe](https://feeny.ai/job/lead-mechanical-engineer-airframe-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-cmzp9ptrpq8q) — Alameda - [Head of Finance](https://feeny.ai/job/head-of-finance-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-t4js5ys7mnfg) — Alameda - [GNC Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/gnc-engineer-poseidon-aerospace-alameda-3rfbvjesjenj) — Alameda