Operations Manager

Buoyant Aero (YC S21); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Buoyant Aero (YC S21) is seeking an experienced operational leader to manage deployments in the San Francisco Bay Area. You will ensure smooth operations, coordinate between various teams, and enhance deployment reliability and scalability.

The ideal candidate has over 5 years in field operations, strong judgement under pressure, and excellent communication skills. This role includes working with SOPs, logistics, and tracking key operational metrics.

Competitive salary plus equity for full-time positions offered. To apply, send a resume to [e-mail].

Qualifications

• 5+ years in aviation, maritime, film/TV production, military logistics, or similar environments.
• Comfortable using checklists effectively.
• Willing to spend time on boats during deployment.

Responsibilities

• Own deployment SOPs and coordinate with pilots and crew.
• Manage spares and deployment readiness logistics.
• Track operational metrics and identify risks.

Skills

Field operations experience

Strong operational judgment

Excellent written communication skills

Job description

Overview

Location: Bay Area (deployment-facing) with travel

About Us

Buoyant Aero builds autonomous lighter-than-air aircraft. We’re transitioning from prototype shop to operating company — running daily commercial deployments in challenging real-world environments.

We’re a small, technical, fast-moving team building a new category of aerial infrastructure and media platform.

The Role

You will own the operational backbone of our SF deployment and the deployments that follow. That means:

• SOPs that exist, get followed, and improve
• Crew schedules that hold
• Spares inventories that don’t run out offshore
• Calm, professional execution even when conditions change quickly

You will be responsible for making deployments feel reliable, repeatable, and scalable.

Responsibilities

• Own deployment SOPs (launch, recovery, battery swaps, weather calls, emergency procedures)
• Coordinate pilots, vessel crew, and field operations staff
• Run daily deployment debriefs and weekly ops reviews
• Manage spares, batteries, helium logistics, transport, and deployment readiness
• Serve as the on-site operational point of contact for clients
• Track operational metrics including uptime, cancellations, cycle time, and cost per flight hour
• Identify operational risks before they become incidents

You Probably Have

• 5+ years running field operations in aviation, maritime, film/TV production, military logistics, expedition operations, field service, or similar environments
• Strong operational judgment under pressure
• Comfort with checklists as a craft, not a chore
• Excellent written communication skills — a large portion of this role is documentation and coordination
• Willingness to spend significant time on boats during deployment seasons

Bonus

• Part 107 certification (or willingness to obtain one — we’ll sponsor)
• Aviation, drone, or UAS operations background

Compensation

Competitive salary + equity for full time positions.

How to Apply

Send a short note and resume to [e-mail].