Interview scorecard template

Autonomous Drone Delivery Pilot interview scorecard

Evaluate Autonomous Drone Delivery Pilot candidates across 4 weighted areas: ratings and technical competence, situational awareness under load, decisions under pressure, and communication discipline. Ratings and technical competence leads at 30%, so verify Part 107 with current recurrent training, any BVLOS or 107.29 waivers held, plus airframes flown (Wing, Zipline, Matternet). Use the rubric to compare role-specific evidence consistently.

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TL;DR
For ratings and technical competence, look for evidence the candidate holds current Part 107, names specific waivers operated under, and describes pre-flight checks, battery cycles, and payload limits per airframe. For situational awareness under load, look for evidence the candidate tracks concurrent missions without losing the picture, describes exactly which telemetry they scan first and what triggers an early recall. Apply the written 1–5 anchors to every answer, record the evidence behind each rating, and use the factor weights to reach a consistent overall assessment.
Complete evaluation framework

What to assess and how to score it

Review the evidence signals before interviewing. Then use the anchored descriptions—not instinct alone—to choose the score that best matches each answer.

01
Evaluation factor

Ratings and technical competence

30% weight

Verify Part 107 with current recurrent training, any BVLOS or 107.29 waivers held, plus airframes flown (Wing, Zipline, Matternet) and GCS software such as Mission Planner or a proprietary fleet console.

Evidence to listen for

  • Holds the current ratings, licences, or endorsements the position requires
  • Knows the rules, minima, and standards cold, not approximately
  • Familiar with the equipment and airspace, network, or plant in question
  • Clear on the boundary of their own authority

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Lacks required ratings, or shaky on the standards that keep people alive.

2
Needs Improvement

Holds the ticket but hesitant on rules and minima.

3
Satisfactory

Competent and current; slower on unfamiliar configurations.

4
Very Good

Rules and minima are second nature; strong on the specific environment.

5
Excellent

Holds current Part 107, names specific waivers operated under, and describes pre-flight checks, battery cycles, and payload limits per airframe.

02
Evaluation factor

Situational awareness under load

30% weight

Probe how they monitor multiple aircraft at once: ADS-B and Remote ID traffic feeds, C2 link margin, wind and icing limits, geofence boundaries, and when they hand off to a visual observer.

Evidence to listen for

  • Keeps the whole picture while handling one problem
  • Describes how they shed or reprioritise tasks when volume spikes
  • Notices the thing that has gone quiet, not just the thing that is loud
  • Knows their own saturation point and says so before reaching it

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Tunnel vision under load; loses the wider picture entirely.

2
Needs Improvement

Copes at normal volume; degrades badly when it spikes.

3
Satisfactory

Holds the picture in most conditions; occasional fixation.

4
Very Good

Maintains awareness under high load and reprioritises deliberately.

5
Excellent

Tracks concurrent missions without losing the picture, describes exactly which telemetry they scan first and what triggers an early recall.

03
Evaluation factor

Decisions under pressure

25% weight

Test lost-link and contingency behaviour: rerouting around a sudden TFR or NOTAM, low-battery diversion to an alternate landing zone, aborting over a crowd, or ditching versus continuing.

Evidence to listen for

  • Decides on incomplete information rather than freezing
  • Chooses the safe option when uncertain, and can say why
  • Recovers from their own error without concealing it
  • Can describe a real event where they made the call

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Freezes, or gambles when the safe option was available.

2
Needs Improvement

Slow to commit; defers decisions that were theirs to make.

3
Satisfactory

Decides adequately in familiar situations.

4
Very Good

Decides quickly and safely, and owns errors openly.

5
Excellent

Recounts a real abort or diversion with timings, the flight termination logic used, and what they told the customer and airspace authority.

04
Evaluation factor

Communication discipline

15% weight

Assess radio and reporting discipline: phraseology with ATC or UTM services, logging in the flight record, escalating to the operations lead, and filing NASA ASRS or company incident reports.

Evidence to listen for

  • Uses standard phraseology and readback discipline without shortcuts
  • Hands over completely, including what is unresolved
  • Speaks up to someone senior when safety requires it
  • Stays measured on the loop when the situation is not

Five-point scoring guide

1
Poor

Sloppy phraseology; incomplete handovers.

2
Needs Improvement

Drifts from standard phrasing under pressure.

3
Satisfactory

Disciplined communication; handovers occasionally thin.

4
Very Good

Precise phraseology and complete handovers, and will challenge seniority on safety.

5
Excellent

Uses standard phraseology naturally, reports near misses and deviations without prompting, and keeps flight logs that survive an FAA audit.

Evidence-led prompts

Interview questions for a Autonomous Drone Delivery Pilot

Use these prompts to surface evidence for the weighted factors above and compare candidates against the same role-specific criteria.

  1. 01

    Can you provide examples of delivery missions you have completed?

  2. 02

    What prior experience do you have with autonomous drone operations?

  3. 03

    Describe your experience coordinating with a team on larger operations.

  4. 04

    Are you familiar with the current regulations covering delivery operations?

  5. 05

    How do you ensure compliance with local and international delivery rules?

See the complete Autonomous Drone Delivery Pilot question set
Put this rubric to work

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