flight Operations Manager - Drone Services

Skyports Limited; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Skyports Limited in the UK is seeking a Flight Operations Manager to lead our drone services flight operations from Westcott, Aylesbury. You will oversee Remote Pilots and Team Leaders, ensure safety, regulatory compliance, and efficient, on‑time operations across multiple locations.

The role requires proven aviation or UAS leadership, strong regulatory knowledge for BVLOS and VLOS, and the ability to manage a growing operational team with travel to sites across the UK.

Qualifications

• Proven operational leadership experience within aviation, UAS/drone operations, or another safety-critical environment.
• Strong understanding of UAS regulation and operating frameworks, including complex/BVLOS operations.
• Experience managing multi-site, deployed, or remotely operated teams.
• Good technical understanding of UAS platforms, ground control systems, communications, maintenance cycles, and authorisations.
• Experience in operational risk management within safety management systems.
• Strong people-management skills with team development experience.
• Clear communicator with customers, regulators, and stakeholders.
• Strong planning and organisational skills for multiple priorities.
• Willingness to travel to UK and international sites.
• Ability to work regularly from Westcott, Aylesbury facility.
• Experience as Remote Pilot or UAS Flight Operations Manager.
• Familiarity with SORA or similar risk assessment methodologies.
• Experience introducing new aircraft or capabilities into service.
• Experience supporting flight trials and other drone programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of flight operations.
• Oversee mission planning, pre-flight prep, execution, and close-out.
• Ensure missions follow SOPs, ConOps, authorities and Skyports’ standards.
• Manage aircraft readiness, engineering authorisations, and maintenance needs.
• Own operational resourcing across people, aircraft, ground equipment and ROCs.
• Ensure Westcott operation is resourced and ready for current/future programmes.
• Maintain and promote a strong safety culture within the team.
• Ensure Remote Pilots maintain competency, currency and qualifications.
• Support safety reviews, incidents investigations and corrective actions.
• Liaise with authorities, airspace stakeholders, aerodromes and partners.
• Build operational capability for new programmes and locations.

Skills

Operational Leadership

UAS Regulation

BVLOS Operations

Multi-site Management

UAS Platforms

Safety Management

People Management

Stakeholder Communication

Planning & Organisation

UK & Intl Travel

Remote Pilot Experience

SORA Knowledge

Flight Trials

Job description

flight Operations Manager - Drone Services

Skyports Limited Aylesbury, England, United Kingdom

About this position

Job Title : Flight Operations Manager, UK

Location: Westcott, Aylesbury - Travel Required

Department: Drone Services, Flight Operations

Type: Full-time, Permanent

About Us:

Founded in 2018, Skyports is at the forefront of the Advanced Air Mobility revolution, developing and operating cutting-edge infrastructure for electric air taxis and leveraging drone technology to transform business operations across industries.

Our business is split into two key areas:

• Skyports Drone Services uses drones to streamline logistics, capture data, and enhance operational efficiency, with a focus on rural deliveries, surveying, surveillance, and maritime services.
• Skyports Infrastructure plays a vital role in the Urban Air Mobility ecosystem, designing, building, owning, and operating vertiports that enable eVTOL operators to take off and land in cities around the world.

With our presence in this dynamic, high-growth industry, there has never been a more exciting time to be part of our mission to reshape the future of air mobility.

The Role:

You will lead Skyports’ flight operations, based from our operations facility in Westcott, Aylesbury.

The role covers people leadership, operational delivery, safety, regulatory compliance, and resource planning across our global operations. You will be responsible for Remote Pilots and Team Leaders, ensuring that operations are delivered safely, efficiently, and in accordance with regulatory requirements, internal procedures, and customer commitments.

The role is suited to an experienced aviation or drone operations leader who is comfortable overseeing BVLOS and VLOS operations, inspection, delivery and other complex UAS missions, while managing a growing operational team across multiple locations.

Key Responsibilities:

Operational Delivery

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of flight operations.
• Oversee mission planning, pre-flight preparation, flight execution, and operational close-out.
• Ensure all missions are conducted in accordance with approved SOPs, ConOps, operational authorisations, and Skyports’.

Flight Operations Directive.

• Manage aircraft and platform readiness, engineering authorisations, maintenance requirements, and serviceability.
• Own operational resourcing plans across people, aircraft, ground equipment, and Remote Operations Centres (ROCs).
• Ensure the Westcott operation is appropriately resourced and ready to support current and future programmes.

Safety and Compliance

• Maintain and promote a strong safety culture across the Flight Operations team.
• Ensure Remote Pilots maintain the required competency, currency, qualifications, and engineering authorisations.
• Support and lead operational safety reviews, occurrence and incident reporting, investigations, and corrective actions.
• Ensure operations remain compliant with applicable aviation regulations and Skyports’ internal operating standards.
• Liaise with the relevant authorities, airspace stakeholders, aerodromes, landowners, and other relevant authorities in support of operational approvals and permissions.
• Work closely with the Safety and Regulatory teams to maintain and develop operational authorisations as Skyports’ capabilities expand.
• Line manage Remote Pilots and Team Leaders.
• Run regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and technical development plans.
• Drive the Flight Operations training and competency pathway, ensuring Remote Pilots progress through the appropriate qualification levels.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, standardisation, recurrent training, and skills development.
• Build a strong operational culture centred on safety, professionalism, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Stakeholder Management

• Represent Skyports Drone Services with customers, partners, aviation stakeholders, and operational suppliers.
• Work closely with Business Development, Technology, Engineering, Safety, Regulatory, and Project teams.
• Support customer onboarding, demonstrations, trials, operational readiness activities, and contract delivery milestones.
• Ensure clear communication between operational teams and programme stakeholders, particularly when managing competing operational priorities.

Operational Growth

• Build operational capability as new programmes and locations come online.
• Support the identification and establishment of suitable take‑off and landing points (TOLPs), Remote Operations Centres, operating bases, and associated infrastructure.
• Support recruitment, contractor onboarding, and future team scaling.
• Help develop processes, systems, and operating standards that enable Skyports to scale complex BVLOS operations safely and efficiently.
• Contribute operational expertise to the introduction of new aircraft, technologies, and concepts of operation.

What You Need:

• Proven operational leadership experience within aviation, UAS/drone operations, or another safety‑critical environment.
• Strong understanding of UAS regulation and operating frameworks, including experience with complex and/or BVLOS operations.
• Experience managing multi‑site, deployed, or remotely operated teams.
• Good technical understanding of UAS platforms, ground control systems, communications systems, maintenance cycles, and operational/engineering authorisations.
• Experience managing operational risk and working within formal safety management systems.
• Strong people‑management skills, with experience developing and maintaining competent operational teams.
• Clear and confident communicator who is comfortable working directly with customers, regulators, and operational stakeholders.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple operational priorities.
• Willingness to travel to operational sites across the UK and internationally where required.
• Ability to work regularly from our Westcott, Aylesbury facility.
• Previous experience as a Remote Pilot or UAS Flight Operations Manager.
• Familiarity with SORA or other structured operational risk assessment methodologies.
• Experience introducing new aircraft or operational capabilities into service.
• Experience supporting flight trials, demonstrations, logistics, inspection, surveillance, or other commercial drone programmes.

Skyports is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.