Commercial Operations Launch Program Manager

Joby Aviation; California (MO); On-site; USD 105,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare benefits

401(k) with company match

Employee stock purchase plan (RSUs)

Job summary

Joby Aviation seeks a Go-to-Market - Operations program leader to own the master schedule, governance, and cross-functional alignment across Commercial Operations, Market Development, Maintenance, and more. You will connect timelines across workstreams, identify critical-path items, and communicate options to leadership with autonomy and influence.

The role requires 5+ years in program management in fast-paced launches, with strong skills in Smartsheet, governance cadences, and stakeholder

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of program/project management in fast-paced pre-launch environments.
• Experience leading cross-functional programs with multiple interdependent workstreams.
• Ability to translate schedule risk into clear leadership communications.

Responsibilities

• Stand up and maintain the commercial launch program portfolio across functional workstreams and market teams.
• Build and maintain an executive dashboard showing program status across markets.
• Define stage gates and facilitate cross-functional checks for progress.
• Establish and run the program governance cadence (steering committees, reviews).
• Define and apply prioritization rules for scope changes and acceleration requests.
• Own and maintain the master integrated schedule and critical-path view.
• Track dependencies and flag downstream impact when tasks slip.
• Roll up budget, headcount, and resourcing needs for leadership visibility.
• Maintain the escalation log and drive items to resolution with leads.
• Communicate milestones and trade-offs clearly to stakeholders.

Skills

Program management

Cross-functional leadership

Integrated schedules

Governance cadence

Stakeholder communication

Autonomy & accountability

Aviation industry experience

Schedule risk communication

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Smartsheet

Google Workspace

Microsoft Office

Job description

Imagine a piloted air taxi that takes off vertically, then quietly carries you and your fellow passengers over the congested city streets below, enabling you to spend more time with the people and places that matter most. At Joby, we've been working to make that dream a reality since 2009 and we're now in the final stages of certifying our aircraft with the FAA. With plans to launch our aircraft in the US and Dubai, we're now scaling manufacturing and preparing for the launch of our commercial service.

Overview

Joby's Go-to-Market - Operations team is responsible for standing up the full commercial launch program across our global and market-specific workstreams, spanning Commercial Operations, Market Development, Maintenance, Maintenance Engineering, Operations Technical Publications , Safety, Infrastructure, Environmental Planning, Workforce Development, and Training. This role owns the integration layer that ties these workstreams into a single, cross-functional program – the master schedule, the governance cadence, the dependency and risk tracking, and the escalation path leadership uses to make trade-off decisions.

You will be the person who knows how every workstream's timeline connects to every other workstream's timeline, who can tell leadership exactly what's on the critical path, what's at risk, and what the options are when something slips. You'll operate with a high degree of autonomy and cross-functional influence, holding functional leads accountable to commitments without having formal authority over them.

Responsibilities

• Stand up and maintain the commercial launch program portfolio: a master roll-up of all tasks across both functional workstreams and market teams
• Build and maintain an executive dashboard that gives leadership an accurate, current view of program status across all markets and workstreams
• Define stage gates and facilitate cross-functional checks that determine when a market or workstream is ready to advance
• Establish and run the program's governance cadence – functional team syncs, market readiness reviews, monthly program reviews, and executive steering committee updates
• Define and apply the program's prioritization rules and process for scope changes and acceleration requests, ensuring decisions are made consistently and objectively across markets
• Own and maintain the master integrated schedule and critical-path view across all markets and functional teams
• Track dependencies on global deliverables and flag downstream impact when tasks slip>
• Roll up budget, headcount, and resourcing needs across the program for leadership visibility
• Maintain the program escalation log and drive open items to resolution, pulling in the right functional or market leads
• Communicate milestones, schedule impacts, and trade-offs clearly to stakeholders ranging from functional leads to executive leadership

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field or equivalent practical experience
• 5+ years of experience in program, portfolio, or project management (ideally in a fast-paced, pre-launch, or 0-to-1 environment with significant ambiguity)
• Demonstrated experience managing a complex, cross-functional program with multiple interdependent workstreams and no single owner of the full timeline
• Proven ability to build and maintain integrated schedules and critical-path views, and to translate schedule risk into clear, actionable communication for leadership
• Experience designing or running a governance cadence (steering committees, portfolio reviews, gate reviews) for a multi-team program
• Proficiency with project management tools (e.g., Smartsheet) and standard office software
• Experience in aviation, aerospace, transportation, infrastructure, or another regulated or safety-critical industry
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with a proven track record of influencing cross-functional stakeholders without direct authority
• Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and holding a team accountable to commitments in a fast-changing environment

Desired

• Experience in aviation, aerospace, transportation, infrastructure, or another regulated or safety-critical industry
• Strong proficiency with Smartsheet as program/project management tooling, and standard workplace software (Google and Microsoft)
• Experience supporting multi-market or multi-site launches (new market entry, retail rollout, network expansion, or similar)
• Familiarity with regulatory or certification-driven program structures, even without direct regulatory experience

Additional Information

Compensation at Joby is a combination of base pay and Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). The target base pay for this position is $105,000 - $180,000. The compensation package will be determined by job-related knowledge, skills, and experience.

Joby also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including paid time off, healthcare benefits, a 401(k) plan with a company match, an employee stock purchase plan (ESPP), short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, and more.

Joby is an Equal Opportunity Employer