Certification and Airworthiness Specialist (Remote, US-only)

About Pyka Pyka’s goal is to provide society with a new form of safe, clean, and cost-effective transportation enabled by autonomous electric aviation. To get there, we’re taking a different approach than most. We're applying our technologies to every industry where autonomous electric aircraft can be useful, starting with the highest value and most dangerous jobs. In doing so, we're building game-changing products manufactured at scale, while perfecting the safety, reliability, and capabilities of our autonomy engine and electric propulsion systems. We design, develop and manufacture an ecosystem of technologies including proprietary flight control software, avionics, high power density motors, motor controllers, batteries, and custom carbon-fiber composite airframes. Today, we supply autonomous electric aircraft for cargo transport and crop protection to real-world customers across four separate continents and have secured industry-first regulatory approvals from the FAA. Our cargo aircraft enables remote connectivity, enhances express delivery networks, and ensures fast and reliable shipping of critical supplies to areas in need. Our crop protection aircraft offers agricultural services providers and farmers an autonomous tool to make aerial application safer, more precise, and less harmful to surrounding environments. Both vehicles are highly economical to operate, easy to deploy, and significantly reduce CO2 emissions in their respective industries. What you work on at Pyka makes people’s lives better now and brings the future of electric aviation one step closer each day.

Role Overview Pyka is seeking a driven and detail-oriented full time Certification and Airworthiness Specialist to support certification and airworthiness efforts of our autonomous aircraft. In this role, you will leverage your experience working with aviation technical documentation and continued airworthiness initiatives to ensure the certification, airworthiness, and operational approval of the company’s unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This will ultimately support Pyka’s mission of delivering safe, clean, and cost-effective autonomous aviation solutions worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Author and maintain UAS flight (UFM) and maintenance (UMM) manuals, ensuring physical fleet hardware and software strictly matches regulatory filings.
• Drive domestic (FAA 44807, Part 11/135/137) and foreign (ANAC, TC, etc.) certification and airworthiness efforts.
• Secure COAs, Experimental Airworthiness Certification Packages, and N-number registrations while managing aircraft conformity and civil aviation authority site audits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree (engineering or aerospace-related field is a plus)
• Familiarity with aircraft regulatory processes (UAS Exemptions, Part 21, Part 23, etc.)
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration, time management and prioritization skills
• Ability to travel for on-site headquarters visits as needed
• Ability to evaluate evolving hardware, software, and technical specifications against complex legal frameworks to determine licensing requirements and adapt compliance strategies independently.
• Proficiency in drafting, submitting, and tracking administrative applications, permits, and official filings within external agency portals and regulatory databases.

Preferred Qualifications

• 2+ years experience in the Civil Aviation Industry
• Proficiency in Adobe Illustrator, WebManuals, or other technical writing software
• Experience with collaboration tools such as Confluence, Slack, Google Suite
• Strong team player who can wear different hats to help your team move forward
• Experience in a “Big” company environment as well as a startup

Compensation & Benefits

• $85,000–$125,000 per year. Compensation will vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Salary ranges are subject to change.
• Employer-sponsored health, dental and vision insurance
• FSA with employer matching
• 401(k)
• Paid holidays, generous PTO, and additional unpaid time off
• Voluntary short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance
• Pre-tax commuter benefits

Export Control Requirements This position requires access to technology, software and other information that is subject to governmental access control restrictions, due to export controls. Employment in this position is conditioned on the continued availability of government authorization to authorize release of such items, to the extent required, including without limitation an export license, or other documentation required to establish authorization to receive access to such items. Company may delay commencement of employment, rescind an offer of employment, terminate employment, and/or may modify job responsibilities, compensation, benefits, and/or access to Company facilities and information systems, as Company deems appropriate, in order to ensure compliance with applicable government access control restrictions.

-- We do not work with external recruiters; if you are an external recruiter, please do not reach out.