Fleet Operations Lead

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 55,104 - 66,124; Full time

Job summary

Zipline, the world's leading autonomous drone logistics company, seeks a Fleet Ops Lead to manage remote flight operations from our South San Francisco facility. You will oversee live flights, make rapid decisions, and support the Flight Operations Manager while performing RPIC duties.

The role requires FAA Remote Pilot Certification (Part 107), 2+ years in aviation or UAS operations, leadership experience, and a solid grasp of safety and regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107) required.
• 2+ years of experience in aviation, UAS operations, or a mission-critical control room environment.
• At least six months of leadership, supervisory, or mentorship experience within an operations organization.
• Working knowledge of operational procedures, safety management systems, and regulatory compliance.

Responsibilities

• Oversee live flight operations and serve as RPIC or Ops Assist for ~25% of time.
• Make delegated, time-sensitive decisions independently when Fleet Ops Manager is off shift.
• Coordinate off-nominal events and route issues to safety, maintenance, engineering, or operations stakeholders.
• Lead end-of-shift reviews and provide operational forecasts for next-day readiness.
• Coach Controllers and Ops Assists; identify performance gaps and share observations with Flight Ops Manager.
• Ensure missions follow OpSpecs, manuals, safety standards, and FAA program requirements.
• Turn feedback into playbooks, tools and documentation to improve service continuity.

Skills

FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107

2+ years in aviation/UAS ops

Leadership experience

Regulatory compliance knowledge

Job description

About Zipline

Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products.

Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.

Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.

We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.

About You and The Role

Zipline’s Remote Operations Control Center keeps autonomous deliveries moving safely and reliably for customers. As a Fleet Ops Lead, you will lead shifts, make delegated flight decisions, and help turn operational lessons into stronger service. You will spend approximately half your time overseeing daily operations, a quarter supporting the Flight Operations Manager, and a quarter performing remote flight operations as an RPIC or Ops Assist.

What You'll Do

• Oversee live flight operations and serve as an RPIC (Controller) or Ops Assist for approximately 25% of your time.


• Make delegated, time-sensitive decisions independently when the Fleet Operations Manager is not on shift.


• Coordinate off-nominal events as Event Response Coordinator and route issues to the appropriate safety, maintenance, engineering, or operational stakeholders.


• Lead end-of-shift reviews and provide operational forecasts that improve next-day readiness.


• Coach Controllers and Ops Assists, identifying performance gaps and sharing observations with the Flight Operations Manager.


• Ensure missions follow OpSpecs, operational manuals, safety standards, and FAA Drug & Alcohol Program requirements.


• Turn feedback from local operations, maintenance, customer, and training teams into playbooks, tools, and documentation that improve service continuity and team readiness.

What You'll Bring

• FAA Remote Pilot Certificate (Part 107).


• 2+ years of experience in aviation, UAS operations, or a mission-critical control room environment.


• At least six months of leadership, supervisory, or mentorship experience within an operations organization.


• Working knowledge of operational procedures, safety management systems, and regulatory compliance.


• Sound judgment under pressure, clear communication, collaboration, and strong situational awareness.


• Willingness to work rotating shifts, including nights, weekends, and holidays, as part of 24/7 operations.


• Experience with incident response or emergency coordination is a plus.

Location & other constraints

• On-site at Fleet Command facility, South San Francisco, CA. Zipline will provide required training and cover approved travel for that training.

What Else You Need To Know

Please note that:

This is a full-time position and the compensation range for this role is $39.50 - $48/ hour.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, colour, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech.