Flight Training Manager at Pivotal – Palo Alto, California

Flight Training Manager

Pivotal is the leader in the emerging market of electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing (eVTOL) aircraft. We design, develop, and manufacture light eVTOL aircraft and are renowned for the BlackFly aircraft the world's first light eVTOL to fly manned missions and enter the consumer market.
Efficient, compact, and simple, Pivotal aircraft are designed for a wide range of consumer, public service, and defense applications. Our distinctive tilt-aircraft architecture and scalable platform have been flying for over 10 years. Last year we announced our next-generation aircraft, the Helix, which is rapidly progressing toward general release and scalable production in early 2026.
Mobility is one of the most highly-valued areas of modern technology investments. This is the right company, in the right space, the right strategy, at the right time. If you are ready for adventure, we invite you to join our amazing team and grow with us.
Pivotal is seeking someone to own and build our BlackFly and Helix training programs end-to-end. This role blends hands-on flying and instruction with program management, curriculum development, and cross-functional collaboration. Youll work closely with Flight, Marketing, and Sales to design and deliver a training experience that is safe, scalable, and delightful for our customers. Responsibilities

• Coordinate the overall flight training program, including planning, scheduling, resource coordination, and execution.
• Fly aircraft and build strong proficiency in flight operations, working with other flight trainers, pilots, test pilots and maintainers.
• Complete classroom, simulator and flight training for operators and customers.
• Maintain and model a strong safety culture, ensuring training practices align with all internal and external safety requirements.
• Ensure tight alignment between training materials, simulators, and real-world flight behavior so that what we teach accurately reflects how the aircraft flies.
• Define and track key training metrics (e.g., trainee performance, throughput, customer feedback) to drive continuous improvement
• Partner with Marketing, Sales, Flight, Engineering, and Support to create customer-facing training and experience assets (e.g., onboarding materials, how-it-works content, video explainers) from sale through initial training and continued proficiency.
• Conduct checkouts, recurrent training, and qualification flights.
• Validate curriculum changes from a pilot perspective.

Qualifications

• Associate degree, or equivalent experience and training
• Demonstrated experience in aviation training (flight, ground, or safety).
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to work directly with customers and internal stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of aviation and safety training
• Ability to work a flexible schedule and travel to training sites around California and, occasionally, out of state.
• Strong attention to detail and safety-oriented mindset
• Demonstrated ability to write clearly and concisely, especially technical topics and instructional materials.

Preferred Qualifications

• Gold Seal FAA CFI with appropriate certifications for advanced ground instruction
• Interest in aviation and a passion for sharing knowledge
• Rotary wing and fixed wing experience
• Experience with novel air platforms
• Experience developing training programs
• Ability to digitize training

Attributes aligned with Core Values

• Demonstrates a proactive safety mindset by embedding safety into daily operations, identifying and mitigating risks through assessments and training, encouraging open dialogue on safety concerns, and continuously improving protocols to ensure a safe work environment.
• Puts customers at the center of every action by deeply understanding their challenges, delivering exceptional value, and striving to exceed expectations to support their success as our core purpose.
• Actively seeks and values diverse stakeholder perspectives, builds cross-functional relationships, and fosters trust through empathetic, fact-based communicationcommitting to shared decisions for the greater good.
• Drives results with clarity and purpose by focusing on what matters most, adapting to change, taking initiative, and owning outcomes while aligning actions with a clear understanding of success at every level.
• Navigates ambiguity with resilience and bold thinking, challenges the status quo, and combines innovative ideas with practical best practices to overcome obstacles and drive progress.
• Fosters a high-performance culture grounded in respect, professionalism, and supportbalancing high expectations with a healthy, collaborative environment and being a trusted, dependable teammate.

Applicants must be eligible for employment in the United States and willing to work onsite at our HQ office in Palo Alto, CA.
Pivotal offers a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, and 401k plans.
Pivotal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Pivotal does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, non-disqualifying physical or mental disability, national origin, veteran status or any other basis covered by appropriate law. All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need.
$136,000 - $185,000 a year