First Officer DHC-8

Company Overview

Metrea delivers effects-as-a-service to national security partners across five domains and more than a dozen mission areas. These include airborne ISR, electronic warfare, secure communications, aerial refueling, special air missions, aerial firefighting, and advanced simulation. We own the whole stack: designing, building, and operating turnkey capabilities that give our partners decisive, asymmetric advantage against rapidly evolving threats.

Our operating model is built around three interlocking pillars. The Support Groups provide a global shared-service – spanning people, finance, platform, operations, legal, and engagement. This frees up our Core Groups, who develop and own mission capabilities end-to-end, to focus entirely on delivery. The Market Groups apply a regional lens, ensuring that our agile and adaptable capabilities remain aligned to the wicked problems that matter most to our partners across the Americas, EMEA, and Asia-Pacific.

At the heart of our model is a simple but powerful idea: be a true partner with skin in the game. Our partners need effects, not just equipment. By owning the full stack – from the lab to the field – we are able to drive a continuous cycle of innovation that keeps our partners ahead. It's a fast-moving, intellectually demanding environment where talented people are given real responsibility, work on problems that matter, and contribute to an enterprise that is growing quickly and deliberately.

Headquartered in Washington, DC, with facilities across the United States, the United Kingdom, as well as Continental Europe and Asia-Pacific.

Group Overview 

Special Air Missions Group (SAM) is responsible for developing and delivering Metrea’s Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR), Special Mobility, and Aerial Firefighting (AFF) capabilities. SAM oversees the integration of new mission systems, ensuring operational readiness across specialized aviation operations. It manages fleet maintenance, regulatory compliance, and strategic partnerships to enhance mission effectiveness. By consolidating expertise and infrastructure, SAM ensures Metrea’s airborne capabilities remain adaptable and mission-ready across dynamic operational environments.

Position Summary   

As a First Officer on our Dash8 fleet, you will be assisting the Captain in ensuring the safe and efficient operation of our aircraft and leading the crew. As a frontline employee you will represent Metrea to our customers and local partners.  

We fly missions beyond passenger or cargo transport from A to B. This will require flexibility, excellent communication within the crew, towards customer representatives and with our Operational Control Center. From our First Officers we require comprehensive, adaptive decision-making skills and the ability to contribute to an optimum teamwork in a multicultural and highly dynamic environment.  

Metrea is expanding in to Aerial Firefighting Operations using our own platform based on the DHC-8 300, which may present future opportunities for successful candidates. 

What You’ll Do 

• Operate the DHC-8-200 in accordance with EASA regulations, company Operations Manuals, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and customer requirements. 
• Conduct passenger, cargo, and special mission transport flights as Second-in-Command, ensuring safe and efficient mission delivery. 
• Perform flight planning, performance calculations, fuel planning, weight and balance assessments, and route analysis to support operational requirements. 
• Monitor weather, airspace constraints, aircraft systems, and operational risks to maintain the highest standards of flight safety and regulatory compliance. 
• Coordinate with Air Traffic Control (ATC), ground handling agents, maintenance personnel, operational control, and customer representatives to ensure seamless mission execution. 
• Complete all flight, operational, and safety documentation in accordance with EASA, company, and customer requirements. 
• Maintain aircraft proficiency, operational currency, and professional standards through recurrent training and checking programmes. 
• Support operations into diverse operating environments, including regional airports, remote locations, and occasionally austere airfields where operationally approved. 
• Contribute to the company's Safety Management System (SMS) through hazard identification, occurrence reporting, and continuous improvement initiatives. 
• Actively support crew resource management (CRM), operational excellence, and a strong safety culture across the organisation. 
• Participate in deployments and rotational assignments as required to support customer commitments and operational objectives. 
• Support the continued development of the company's aviation capabilities, including opportunities to contribute to future Aerial Fire Fighting (AFF) operations, training, and capability growth. 
• During your time as First Officer there may be opportunities to grow into the responsibilities of the Captain 

What You’ll bring  

To be eligible for this position, candidates will need to:

• Hold an EASA ATPL(A) or CPL(A) with ATPL theory credit and MCC (frozen ATPL)  
• Hold or have held a valid Type Rating on DHC8 
• Hold a valid EASA Medical class 1  
• Have flown a minimum of 700 hours of which 350 hours must have been on DHC8  
• Able to present a negative criminal record 
• Pass a screening for drugs and psychoactive substances 
• Be a citizen of the European Union (or have the unrestricted right to live and work within the EU) 
• Hold an unrestricted passport and willing to travel  
• Hold a valid driver’s license (regular cars) and  
• Be willing to operate into high-risk areas. 

Additional Eligibility Qualifications   

The following qualifications are considered an advantage but are not mandatory.  

• Experience in special operations  
• Route and area experience in Africa, Middle East and Asia  
• Experience in discrete air transport  
• Experience in ISR / SAR  
• Have flown DHC8 classic variant (100, 200 or 300)  
• UK/EU/NATO Security clearance 
• Experience of Aerial Firefighting Operations 

Our Firmware

At Metrea, our single core value is Rooted in Humility, and our four cornerstone attributes are Entrepreneurial, Systematic, Discerning, and Over-Deliver. These form what we call our Teammate Firmware. Just like technical firmware connects software and hardware, our Firmware is the constant interface between our mission and our people. It defines how we show up, how we work together, and how we solve complex problems.

Our team Firmware creates a web-like, hyper-collaborative, dynamically hierarchical way of working that helps us adapt quickly, communicate openly, and distribute decision-making to where expertise actually lives. It enables groups to self-organize around hard problems, shift fluidly as priorities evolve, and operate with the trust, curiosity, and discipline required in a complex mission space. This foundation allows us to deliver elegant, effective solutions and uphold our purpose: protecting our precious inheritance.