Westcott Drone Flight Operations Manager – BVLOS

Jobless; Aylesbury; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Skyports is seeking an experienced Flight Operations Manager to lead our UK flight operations from the Westcott facility in Aylesbury. You will oversee Remote Pilots and Team Leaders, drive operational delivery, safety, and compliance, and coordinate across a growing multi-location team.

The role requires strong aviation/UAS experience, capability to manage BVLOS and complex missions, and the ability to scale operations while maintaining safety and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• Proven operational leadership experience within aviation, UAS/drone operations, or another safety-critical environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day flight operations delivery.
• Oversee mission planning, pre-flight preparation, flight execution and close-out.
• Ensure all missions comply with SOPs, ConOps, authorisations and Skyports’ standards.
• Manage aircraft readiness, engineering authorisations and maintenance requirements.
• Own resourcing plans across people, aircraft, ground equipment and ROCs.
• Ensure Westcott operation is resourced to support current and future programmes.
• Promote a strong safety culture and maintain regulatory competency and approvals.
• Lead safety reviews, investigations and corrective actions.
• Liaise with authorities, regulators and stakeholders to secure approvals.
• Develop and implement training paths and competency development for staff.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and ongoing professional development.
• Build and maintain an operational culture centred on safety and accountability.
• Represent Skyports with customers and partners and align with other teams.

Skills

Operational leadership

Aviation/UAS

People management

Regulatory knowledge

Safety management systems

Multi-site teams

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Job description

Skyports is seeking an experienced Flight Operations Manager to lead our UK flight operations from the Westcott facility in Aylesbury. You will oversee Remote Pilots and Team Leaders, drive operational delivery, safety, and compliance, and coordinate across a growing multi-location team.

The role requires strong aviation/UAS experience, capability to manage BVLOS and complex missions, and the ability to scale operations while maintaining safety and regulatory standards.