UF/IFAS UAS Fleet Manager

JOB NO:

538227

WORK TYPE:

Staff Full-Time

LOCATION:

Marion

CATEGORIES:

Agricultural Sciences, Agriculture Operations, Engineering

DEPARTMENT:

AG-DEAN FOR RESEARCH

CLASSIFICATION TITLE:

Engineering & Research Technologist

CLASSIFICATION MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS:

Bachelor's degree in an appropriate area and one year of relevant experience.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Daily IFAS UAS Fleet Operations

• 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 technician 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.

EXPECTED 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:

• 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

ADVERTISED:

18 Dec 2025

Eastern Standard Time

APPLICATIONS CLOSE:

18 Jan 2026

Eastern Standard Time