Drone Pilot-Reality Capture & Digital Delivery (Data Centers)

Summary

Jacobs is focused on solving complex challenges across infrastructure, environments, and mission-critical projects. The Drone Pilot will support digital delivery, BIM/VDC, and construction activities by planning and executing safe UAS operations, capturing reality-capture data, and producing organized deliverables for project teams. The role also supports quality checks, project documentation, and coordination with VDC, design, surveying, safety, and client stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Plan and conduct commercial drone flights in accordance with FAA regulations, company policies, project requirements, and site-specific safety procedures
• Maintain required pilot credentials, aircraft registrations, operating records, pre-flight documentation, and flight logs
• Perform pre-flight inspections and verify aircraft, batteries, sensors, firmware, remote-controller settings, and data-storage capacity
• Operate drones safely in active construction, industrial, and data center environments while maintaining situational awareness and required separation distances
• Coordinate flight windows, airspace restrictions, site access, security requirements, and operational constraints with project stakeholders
• Use appropriate visual observers, spotters, and site communication protocols when required
• Respond appropriately to changing weather, site conditions, equipment issues, and other operational risks
• Capture high-quality aerial imagery, video, 360-degree imagery, and other UAS data for design, construction, commissioning, and operational use cases
• Develop repeatable flight plans and capture standards for progress documentation, quantity verification, site logistics, existing-condition documentation, and turnover verification
• Collect nadir and oblique imagery suitable for photogrammetry, orthomosaics, 3D meshes, point clouds, digital elevation models, and topographic or volumetric analysis
• Coordinate ground control points, checkpoints, survey control, and site reference information when required for accurate mapping and model production
• Integrate drone data with terrestrial laser scanning, BIM models, GIS data, schedules, and digital twin platforms, and asset-information systems
• Ensure captured data is complete, properly organized, and traceable to the project, location, date, flight, and applicable coordinate system, and meets project quality requirements for downstream processing and analysis
• Process and quality-check drone imagery and reality-capture data using approved software and project workflows
• Produce orthomosaic maps, 3D models, point clouds, digital surface models, progress exhibits, inspection images, and site documentation packages
• Publish or transfer approved deliverables to Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC), project document-management systems, GIS platforms, or other designated environments
• Perform visual and technical quality checks for image clarity, coverage, overlap, alignment, control, coordinate systems, file naming, and metadata
• Coordinate with VDC and design teams to compare captured conditions against BIM models, drawings, schedules, construction plans, and model coordination environments
• Maintain organized project archives and ensure raw data, processed data, reports, and final deliverables can be retrieved for future reference
• Support construction progress tracking, workface planning, site logistics, schedule reviews, and 4D coordination activities
• Provide aerial documentation to support installation verification, quality reviews, safety observations, commissioning, punch-list resolution, and turnover
• Assist with documentation of hard-to-access, elevated, or potentially hazardous areas when drone operations provide a safer alternative to conventional access methods
• Collaborate with project teams to define flight objectives, required accuracy, image coverage, frequency, and deliverable formats before mobilization or fieldwork
• Communicate findings clearly and identify limitations, data gaps, obstructions, or conditions that may affect the reliability or intended use of deliverables
• Participate in site visits, coordination meetings, and demonstrations to promote effective use of drone data across the project lifecycle
• Follow FAA Part 107, applicable airspace authorizations, company aviation procedures, site safety plans, environmental requirements, and client security protocols
• Complete job hazard analyses, flight risk assessments, pre-task planning, and required permits or approvals before flight operations
• Maintain awareness of personnel, cranes, energized equipment, temporary structures, aircraft, wildlife, weather, and other hazards
• Protect confidential project, client, facility, and security-sensitive information in accordance with project requirements and company policy
• Participate in equipment maintenance, incident reporting, lessons learned, and continuous improvement of UAS workflows and standards

Skills

• Here's what you'll need • Current FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. • 3+ years of experience operating commercial drones, preferably in construction, engineering, surveying, industrial, infrastructure, or facility environments. • Experience developing flight plans and executing UAS operations around active construction or industrial sites. • Working knowledge of photogrammetry, orthomosaics, 3D meshes, point clouds, digital elevation models, and volumetric data. • Understanding of construction sequencing, BIM/VDC coordination, design documentation, and field verification workflows. • Experience with survey control, coordinate systems, georeferencing, and accuracy requirements. • Experience processing, validating, publishing, and archiving large imagery and reality-capture datasets. • Ability to interpret construction drawings, BIM models, site plans, and project schedules. • Strong safety awareness and ability to work within formal project and client compliance programs. • Excellent communication, organization, documentation, and stakeholder-engagement skills. • Ability to travel to project sites and work flexible hours when flight windows require off-shift or weekend operations
• Preferred Software & Equipment Experience • DJI enterprise or equivalent commercial UAS platforms • DJI Pilot 2 or comparable flight-control applications • Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) • Autodesk ReCap and ReCap Pro • Pix4D, DroneDeploy, Propeller, or comparable photogrammetry platforms • Navisworks, Revit, Civil 3D, or other BIM coordination tools • Bentley Context Capture or comparable 3D reality-capture software • ArcGIS or other GIS platforms • Cloud-based data storage, document management, and visualization platforms • GNSS/GPS equipment, ground control targets, and survey accessories

Qualifications

Nice to Haves

• Here's what you'll need • Current FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate. • 3+ years of experience operating commercial drones, preferably in construction, engineering, surveying, industrial, infrastructure, or facility environments. • Experience developing flight plans and executing UAS operations around active construction or industrial sites. • Working knowledge of photogrammetry, orthomosaics, 3D meshes, point clouds, digital elevation models, and volumetric data. • Understanding of construction sequencing, BIM/VDC coordination, design documentation, and field verification workflows. • Experience with survey control, coordinate systems, georeferencing, and accuracy requirements. • Experience processing, validating, publishing, and archiving large imagery and reality-capture datasets. • Ability to interpret construction drawings, BIM models, site plans, and project schedules. • Strong safety awareness and ability to work within formal project and client compliance programs. • Excellent communication, organization, documentation, and stakeholder-engagement skills. • Ability to travel to project sites and work flexible hours when flight windows require off-shift or weekend operations
• Preferred Software & Equipment Experience • DJI enterprise or equivalent commercial UAS platforms • DJI Pilot 2 or comparable flight-control applications • Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) • Autodesk ReCap and ReCap Pro • Pix4D, DroneDeploy, Propeller, or comparable photogrammetry platforms • Navisworks, Revit, Civil 3D, or other BIM coordination tools • Bentley Context Capture or comparable 3D reality-capture software • ArcGIS or other GIS platforms • Cloud-based data storage, document management, and visualization platforms • GNSS/GPS equipment, ground control targets, and survey accessories

Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance
• A 401(k) plan
• The ability to purchase company stock at a discount
• Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan
• Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees
• Seven paid holidays
• Caregiver leave
• Certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock
• Hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations