Assistant Manager – Flight Test & Operations Safety

Role Summary The Assistant Manager – Flight Test & Flight Operations Safety will lead operational risk management on the flight line, ground test rigs (iron-bird/tethered), and during experimental flight test campaigns. Qualifications & Skills Mandatory Qualifications: B.E./B.Tech in Aerospace, Aeronautical, or Mechanical Engineering or equivalent qualification/experience in Military aviation. Certification in Aviation Incident Investigation is highly desirable. Mandatory Experience: 5+ years in airfield operations, experimental aircraft flight testing, or flight line ground operations safety. Preferred Experience: Experience in experimental flight test safety management, drone/eVTOL test bed oversight, or military flight line operations. Primary Skills: Flight-line hazard evaluation, pre-flight safety risk assessments, ground test rig safety (iron-bird/tethered setups), airfield crash rescue coordination, emergency preparedness. Secondary Skills: Operational Risk Management (ORM), human factors evaluation, telemetry monitoring procedures, safety briefing execution. Key Responsibilities Lead pre-flight safety risk assessments and hazard evaluations for ground rig runs, tethered tests, and experimental flight sorties. Establish flight-line standard operating procedures (SOPs), clearance zones, and safe perimeters during active engine or propulsion runs. Coordinate flight-line emergency response teams, Crash Fire Rescue (CFR) protocols, and airfield emergency response strategies. Conduct flight safety briefings for ground crews, pilots/operators, and test engineers prior to test execution. Investigate flight operations near-misses or incidents and implement corrective action reports to enhance operational safety.