Full-Time

Aerostat Operator 2

Deadline 8/6/27
QinetiQ

QinetiQ

5,001-10,000 employees

Global defense, security, and aerospace engineering

No salary listed

No H1B Sponsorship

McAllen, TX, USA

In Person

Must work assigned 24/7 shifts; temporary assignments to other locations are possible.

Bachelor's

Category
Aerospace Engineering (1)
Required Skills
CAD
Machine Learning

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Requirements
  • A GED or high school diploma is required.
  • Two years of formal technical training through military or civilian technical schools is required; an associate or Bachelor of Science degree in any technical discipline may substitute for this training experience.
  • Two years of industry experience is required in electrical maintenance, information technology as a network installation or Cisco network administrator, or mechanical maintenance as an ASE Certified Truck Mechanic or FAA General Mechanic 1 or greater.
  • The candidate must pass the Aerostat basic training course for continued employment.
  • A valid United States driver's license is required.
  • The candidate must be able to understand, speak, read, and write English fluently.
  • The candidate must be willing to work a 24/7 shift schedule and accept various shifts as required to meet mission requirements.
  • Proof of United States residency is required.
  • The candidate must be able to carry up to 50 pounds and climb ladders.
  • The candidate must successfully complete a background investigation with a favorable suitability determination and receive a Department of Homeland Security suitability determination.
Responsibilities
  • Perform technical tasks using standard mechanical and electrical hand tools, including mechanical disassembly and assembly, wiring, soldering, fiber optic splicing, standard and specialized test equipment, aerostat fabric repair, and handling high-pressure helium and nitrogen gases.
  • Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair mechanical structures, aerostat structures, hydraulic systems, fiber optic components, avionics, and electrical components.
  • Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair ground systems, including generators, communication systems, and weather systems.
  • Serve as a flight crew member during pre- and post-flight activities, launch and recovery, helium topping, snubbing, inflation and deflation, tether inspections, and emergency procedures for moored and airborne aerostat operations.
  • Read and understand schematics, technical drawings, engineering data, and reports.
  • Maintain and understand site documentation, including parts request forms, equipment condition tags, timecards, flight data, and maintenance logs.
  • Calibrate site and test equipment as required.
  • Operate general-purpose and special-purpose vehicles, including man lifts to heights of 150 feet.
  • Execute test steps and collect results.
  • Perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned, including duties assigned by the Site Lead or Shift Lead.

QinetiQ is a global science and engineering company serving defense, security, and aerospace markets. It delivers advanced technologies, testing, evaluation, and integrated engineering services for government and commercial customers, including R&D, systems design, testing facilities, and program support to design, verify, and deploy defense and security solutions. The company originated from the UK's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) and was privatized to become a private company, later expanding via Carlyle Group’s investment and a London IPO to grow, especially in the U.S. defense market. This mix of government-originated expertise and private-sector growth helps it offer broad, end-to-end capabilities across international projects. Its goal is to provide trusted science and engineering capabilities that help protect nations and people by delivering reliable defense, security, and aerospace solutions.

Company Size

5,001-10,000

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Mary Tavy, United Kingdom

Founded

1956

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • FY2026 order intake hit £3.6 billion, and backlog reached £4.8 billion.
  • QinetiQ raised FY2026 operating profit 18% to £218 million and free cash flow 41%.
  • June 2026 Soteria licensing validates Q-TRED as monetizable battery-safety technology.

What critics are saying

  • QinetiQ cut about 1,000 roles in FY2026, signaling demand weakness and margin pressure.
  • The $31 million Federal IT Services sale shrinks QinetiQ's U.S. footprint after 2025.
  • If U.S. reset and UK program cadence slip, QinetiQ loses growth and scale.

What makes QinetiQ unique

  • QinetiQ turns UK MOD test ranges into high-switching-cost defense integration platforms.
  • Its DragonFire and MEWSIC roles embed QinetiQ inside complex, multi-year Royal Navy programs.
  • Q-TRED licensing extends QinetiQ beyond services into defensible battery-safety intellectual property.

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Benefits

Flexible Work Hours

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-1%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

0%
PR Newswire
Jun 5th, 2026
Soteria licenses QinetiQ's thermal event detection tech for battery safety platform

Soteria Battery Innovation Group has licensed QinetiQ's Q-TRED thermal event detection technology for its Battery Safety IP Exchange platform. The technology uses coatings that emit detectable volatile compounds when battery cells reach elevated temperatures, enabling early warning of potential thermal runaway events before fires occur. Unlike traditional temperature monitoring at limited points, Q-TRED supports distributed sensing with volatile sensor molecules on every cell. Commercially available gas sensors can detect these compounds to alert systems of abnormal thermal conditions. The technology will be integrated into Soteria's IPX, a licensing platform bringing together battery safety innovations across cell materials, detection, mitigation and design. Soteria will partner with supply chain companies to develop Q-TRED for electric vehicles, energy storage systems, aerospace applications and other battery-powered devices.

Yahoo Finance
May 21st, 2026
QinetiQ Group posts record $4.8B order intake, raises dividend 24% despite US market pressures

QinetiQ Group reported revenue of just over £1.9 billion for full year 2026, with operating profit of £218 million and an operating margin exceeding 11%. Free cash flow surged over 40% to £159 million, whilst earnings per share increased 21% to 31.5p. The defence technology company achieved record order intake of £3.6 billion and an order backlog of £4.8 billion, up more than 40%. The company announced enhanced shareholder returns, increasing its dividend 24% to 11p and extending its share buyback programme by £200 million through 2029. However, QinetiQ faced challenges in the US defence services market due to budgetary pressures and undertook restructuring that included cutting approximately 1,000 roles. The company expects revenue growth of 3% to 5% for the coming year, with margins between 11% and 11.5%.

Defli
Oct 25th, 2024
DeFli Announce Series A Funding | DeFli Network

An insight in to our Series A round

The Defense Post
Dec 7th, 2022
QinetiQ Acquires New South Wales Firm Air Affairs Australia

UK-based engineering firm QinetiQ has acquired defense aviation service provider Air Affairs Australia.

QinetiQ
May 27th, 2022
Our History

QinetiQ was formed in July 2001, when the Ministry of Defence (MOD) split its Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA) in two. The smaller portion of DERA, was rebranded Dstl (Defence Science & Technology Laboratory).