Senior Specialist - Unmanned Aircraft Systems at UAE General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA)

Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

28 Dec, 25

Salary

0.0

Posted On

29 Sep, 25

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Unmanned Aircraft Systems, Regulatory Oversight, Safety Management, Systems Integration, Stakeholder Engagement, Data Analysis, Policy Development, Certification, Risk Assessment, Research Coordination, Innovation, Drone Technologies, Operational Assessment, Air Traffic Management, Autonomous Flight, ICAO Compliance

Industry

Airlines and Aviation

Description

Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS): • Establish a comprehensive framework to enable and govern the full spectrum of drone services, from policy development and regulatory oversight to airworthiness, licensing, and certification ensuring safe, efficient, and innovative integration of drones into the airspace. • Provide specialized expertise on unmanned aircraft technologies, with a focus on systems integration and the structured transition of drone operations into core regulatory and oversight frameworks specific to UAS. • Manage the end-to-end certification process for autonomous drones used in commercial and government operations, ensuring regulatory readiness for evolving and future drone use cases within the UAE. • Lead the Engagement and coordination with key stakeholders, including the UAE Air Force, Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs), law enforcement, municipalities, R&D institutions, manufacturers, and drone operators to address operational, regulatory, and safety issues specific to drone activity in UAE airspace. Maintain and continuously enhance a centralized, authoritative UAS database, including operational activities, certification records, operator profiles, and drone technical specifications. • Monitor and evaluate global trends, innovations, and adoption models in unmanned aviation, using insights to shape national drone policy, certification pathways, and implementation strategies. • Represent the UAE in bilateral and multilateral forums, and lead collaborative initiatives with national and international bodies to ensure UAE's leadership and alignment with global UAS standards and innovations. • Conduct targeted research, operational data analysis, and performance assessments to support the evolution of drone-specific regulatory policies and the safe integration of autonomous UAS into controlled and uncontrolled airspace. • Coordinate with academic and research entities to explore and test advanced drone operations, including Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) and fully autonomous flight scenarios, to inform scalable regulatory frameworks • Coordinate research initiatives with national stakeholders and academic institutions to gather insights on the latest trends, technologies, and operational models in unmanned aircraft systems, supporting data-driven policy and regulatory development. Safety Management • Implement safety management processes to ensure that risks, hazards, and operational changes related to drone activities are effectively identified, assessed, and mitigated in coordination with relevant departments and stakeholders. • Assess the operational environment to identify potential risks and system limitations, and develop contingency measures and mitigation strategies to maintain safety and continuity in drone operations. • Apply UAS-specific safety protocols in compliance with ICAO Annex 19 and CAR-UAS requirements, ensuring alignment with national and international aviation safety standards. • Identify operational constraints in drone missions and propose risk-based mitigation measures to enable safe and compliant operations. • Utilize the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) framework or equivalent methodologies, to evaluate and reduce risks associated with complex or high-risk UAS operations. • Conduct investigations of drone-related incidents and safety events, analyze root causes, and recommend corrective actions and safety improvements to prevent recurrence and enhance operational resilience. Airspace & UTM Integration • Support the development and national deployment of the UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system, ensuring seamless integration with existing Air Traffic Management (ATM) infrastructure and alignment with safety, security, and operational requirements. Define and coordinate drone zones, corridors, and temporary segregated areas as needed to ensure all operations are safely accommodated. Support in leading efforts for low-altitude airspace policy, urban integration, and infrastructure readiness (vertiports, systems, routes). Innovation & Technology Evaluation • Assess new drone technologies and concepts of operation for regulatory compliance, safety, and potential integration into the national airspace system. • Coordinate and support sandbox trials and demonstration activities, issuing conditional approvals for R&D and test missions in controlled environments to validate emerging capabilities and operational models. • Engage with research and development institutions and industry partners to facilitate innovation, data exchange, and alignment between regulatory frameworks and technological advancements in unmanned aviation. Other Tasks/ Accountability • Perform additional tasks relevant to the role/area of expertise as requested by the management to be able to achieve the objectives/commitments. • Promote a collaborative, facilitative, and innovative environment by emphasizing the regulator’s role as an advisor, facilitator and partner. KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE: Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, or a related field, or possession of Pilot or ATC license issued by a recognized authority, with a minimum of 5 years of experience in a related discipline. • Understanding of ICAO Annexes and international UAS frameworks.

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Responsibilities

The Senior Specialist will establish a framework for drone services, manage certification processes, and engage with stakeholders to ensure safe integration of UAS into airspace. They will also monitor global trends and represent the UAE in international forums related to UAS standards.