Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Unmanned Systems Analyst

🎯 Role Definition

This role requires an Unmanned Systems Analyst to design, evaluate, and optimize unmanned platforms and payloads (UAV/UAS, UGV, USV, UUV). The ideal candidate will combine systems engineering, mission planning, sensor exploitation, data analytics, and flight-test experience to translate operational requirements into reliable autonomous capabilities. This role requires hands-on experience with telemetry analysis, mission planning tools, simulation (SIL/HIL), and working knowledge of autonomy stacks (ROS/PX4) and sensor suites (EO/IR, LiDAR, SAR). Strong communication and stakeholder management skills are essential for delivering technical briefings and producing actionable intelligence products for program leadership.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Systems Engineer — Unmanned Systems / UAS Technician
Intelligence Analyst with ISR/UAS exposure
Aerospace/Robotics Engineer with flight-test or autonomy internship experience

Advancement To:

Senior Unmanned Systems Analyst / Lead Systems Engineer
Autonomy/Perception Team Lead
Mission Architect / Program Manager (Unmanned Systems)

Lateral Moves:

Flight Test Engineer (UAS)
Payload Integration Engineer (Sensors & ISR)
Data Scientist specializing in sensor fusion and geospatial analytics

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the analysis of flight telemetry, sensor logs, and mission data (GNSS, IMU, RF, EO/IR, LiDAR) to identify performance trends, statistical anomalies, and system limitations; prepare concise technical reports and recommendations to improve platform reliability and mission effectiveness.
Develop, document, and execute detailed test plans and procedures for software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and full flight test events, including data collection requirements, instrumentation setup, risk mitigation, and pass/fail criteria.
Perform mission planning and route optimization for unmanned platforms using mission planning tools; generate flight profiles, waypoints, contingency plans, and sensor employment schedules to meet ISR, mapping, or delivery objectives.
Integrate and characterize payloads (electro-optical/infrared cameras, LiDAR, SAR, SIGINT sensors) on UAS/USV/UGV platforms; define mechanical, electrical, and data interfaces and validate data pipelines from sensor to exploitation.
Conduct systems engineering activities including requirements derivation, traceability, verification/validation (V&V), and change impact analysis to ensure platform behavior meets operational and safety requirements.
Design, implement, and validate autonomy algorithms (path planning, obstacle avoidance, state estimation) in ROS, PX4, or equivalent autonomy stacks; evaluate algorithm performance in simulation and on-platform testing.
Perform sensor fusion and geospatial data processing using Python, MATLAB, or C++ to produce fused situational awareness products (tracks, geo-referenced imagery, digital elevation models) for decision-makers.
Build and maintain simulation environments (Gazebo, MATLAB/Simulink, custom tools) for scenario-based evaluation of autonomy behaviors, swarming tactics, and sensor coverage analysis.
Execute RF link budget analyses, telemetry integrity checks, and communications performance assessments; recommend antenna configurations, frequency planning, and redundancy strategies to improve command and control resilience.
Troubleshoot avionics, communication systems, and ground-control-station software during pre-flight, flight, and post-flight phases; coordinate corrective actions with hardware and firmware teams to resolve root causes.
Author and maintain technical documentation including test reports, flight logs, CONOPS, systems diagrams, maintenance checklists, and certification artifacts for internal review and external audits.
Ensure compliance with all applicable safety, regulatory, and export control frameworks (FAA Part 107/COA, ITAR/EAR, DoD policies) and coordinate with regulatory bodies for approvals and waivers as required.
Partner with data science and intelligence teams to convert raw sensor data into actionable intelligence products, including automated processing pipelines, geospatial visualizations, and analyst-ready datasets.
Design and execute performance regression testing for firmware and payload software; track defects using issue trackers, prioritize fixes, and validate resolution in staged flight environments.
Conduct operational risk assessments and safety-of-flight analyses; develop mitigation plans, emergency procedures, and operator training materials to minimize mission and safety risk.
Support procurement and vendor evaluation for sensors, flight controllers, communication systems, and ground control stations; evaluate technical proposals and perform integration feasibility assessments.
Implement and maintain configuration management and lifecycle traceability for software builds, hardware revisions, and mission data to support reproducible test results and certification artifacts.
Provide real-time support during field deployments and exercises, including mission planning updates, live telemetry monitoring, and rapid analysis to adapt tactics and sensing in response to operational changes.
Mentor and train UAS operators, junior analysts, and cross-functional team members on mission planning, safety procedures, data exploitation workflows, and tools (e.g., GIS, remote sensing, ROS).
Collaborate with program managers, operations, and customers to translate operational needs into technical requirements, prioritize capability development, and define roadmaps for autonomy and sensing enhancements.
Evaluate new sensors, autonomy frameworks, and processing algorithms through proof-of-concept studies and pilot demonstrations; quantify capability improvements and recommend adoption strategies.
Produce high-quality briefings and presentations for technical and non-technical stakeholders, including leadership summaries, findings from flight tests, and recommended investments in autonomy and sensor capabilities.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis to support mission planning, reporting, and after-action reviews.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by recommending pipelines, storage, and metadata standards for large UAS datasets (imagery, telemetry, LiDAR).
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for tool development, automation, and analytics.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering and autonomy development teams.
Develop reusable Jupyter notebooks, scripts, and automated ETL jobs to accelerate post-flight analytics and reduce time-to-insight for mission data.
Assist procurement and contracting teams with technical evaluation criteria, statement-of-work language, and acceptance test procedures for unmanned system components.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficiency in Python for data analysis, scripting, automation, and building end-to-end processing pipelines (pandas, numpy, scikit-learn).
Experience with MATLAB/Simulink for signal processing, control analysis, and flight dynamics modeling.
Hands-on knowledge of ROS (Robot Operating System), PX4, or ArduPilot for autonomy development and payload integration.
Flight test and telemetry analysis experience: parsing UAV log formats, GNSS/IMU fusion, and time-series analysis.
Familiarity with geospatial tools and GIS software (ArcGIS, QGIS) and remote sensing imagery workflows.
Experience with sensor integration and characterization for EO/IR, LiDAR, SAR, IMU, and RF payloads.
Understanding of communications engineering: RF link budgets, telemetry channels, frequency planning, and SATCOM basics.
Experience with simulation tools (Gazebo, AirSim, custom simulators) and building SIL/HIL test environments.
Proficiency with Linux-based development environments, Git, CI/CD pipelines, and build tools.
Strong data engineering basics: SQL, data modeling, cloud storage (AWS S3), and basic ETL development.
Familiarity with machine learning/AI techniques applied to perception tasks (object detection, tracking, classification).
Ability to write, review, and maintain system-level documentation, requirements, and V&V artifacts.
Knowledge of safety and regulatory frameworks: FAA Part 107, COA processes, export controls (ITAR/EAR), and cybersecurity best practices.
Experience with real-time data visualization and dashboarding tools (Tableau, Power BI, custom web dashboards).
Proficiency in C/C++ for performance-sensitive modules or integration with embedded flight controllers.

Soft Skills

Clear technical writing and documentation skills to produce test plans, reports, and CONOPS suitable for government and commercial customers.
Strong verbal communication and briefing skills for presenting complex technical results to executive leadership and cross-functional teams.
Analytical problem-solving skills and the ability to root-cause complex system behaviors under time-constrained field conditions.
Collaborative team player with experience coordinating engineers, operators, intelligence analysts, and external vendors.
Adaptability and bias-for-action in dynamic, mission-driven environments with evolving requirements.
Project management aptitude: task decomposition, prioritization, milestone tracking, and on-time delivery.
Attention to detail when validating telemetry data, mission logs, and configuration baselines to support reproducible results.
Mentoring and knowledge-sharing ability to upskill operators and junior analysts on tools and best practices.
Customer-focused mindset with the ability to translate operational needs into technically feasible solutions.
Security and risk-awareness to enforce policies that protect sensitive platform and mission data.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Robotics, Geospatial Science, or a related technical field.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science, or Systems Engineering with emphasis on autonomy, sensor processing, or controls.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Aerospace/Aeronautical Engineering
Robotics and Autonomous Systems
Electrical/Electronic Engineering
Computer Science / Software Engineering
Geospatial Science / Remote Sensing

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–7 years of relevant professional experience with unmanned systems, flight testing, sensor integration, or autonomy development.

Preferred:

5+ years of applied experience in UAS/UAV operational analysis, flight test engineering, or autonomy/perception roles, including demonstrated success integrating payloads and producing field-tested technical solutions.
Active FAA Part 107 certification or equivalent UAS operational authorization and previous field deployment experience preferred.
Prior experience in defense or government contracting environments, knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, and security clearance (or eligibility) is a plus.