Technical Support Team Manager - Drone Operations

Percepto - Autonomous Drones; Town of Florida (NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Percepto is seeking an experienced Support Team Manager to own our full customer support organization for drone operations, including an outsourced Level 1/2 team and an internal Level 3 team. This high-visibility role collaborates with Field Ops, Remote Ops, R&D, Product, Commercial, and Safety to keep customers running and fleets flying.

You will lead with hands-on credibility, drive KPIs and quality audits, architect AI-assisted workflows, and ensure robust escalation processes while aligning

Qualifications

• Hands-on technical background across hardware and software.
• Willingness to dive into escalated technical investigations and field troubleshooting.
• Solid understanding of UAV/drone hardware, onboard software, and cloud interactions.
• Experience with Windows and Linux, networking basics, and remote connectivity tools.
• Proficiency in scripting to investigate logs and automate diagnostics.
• Ability to read technical docs, wiring diagrams, and system architecture.

Responsibilities

• Own performance and day-to-day operations across all three support levels, including Level 3 team and outsourced Level 1/2.
• Manage support KPIs, SLAs, ticket workflows, and escalations; report trends to leadership.
• Own the AI roadmap for support automation and triage workflows.
• Design and manage a quality audit program across all levels; ensure quality benchmarks.
• Act as primary escalation point for critical or high-visibility issues; perform hands-on investigations as needed.
• Serve as cross-functional interface with Ground Ops, Remote Ops, R&D, Product, Commercial, and Safety.
• Oversee staffing, on-call coverage, onboarding, and vendor performance for support teams.
• Maintain and evolve the knowledgebase and training materials.

Skills

Hardware & Software

Technical troubleshooting

Scripting (Python)

Windows & Linux

Networking fundamentals

Remote diagnostics

Automation tools

AI tooling

Tools

Zapier

Make

Torq

ChatGPT

Claude

Gemini

Job description

The Percepto team is constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible with hardware, software and AI.

Technical Support Team Manager - Drone Operations

About The Position

Percepto is the leading provider of autonomous inspection and monitoring solutions that harness robotics, including our market-leading industrial drone-in-a-box solution. Our team comprises software and hardware engineers, industry experts, and professionals passionate about innovation and driven to push the boundaries of what's possible with software, AI, and hardware. Our company's growth will not stop anytime soon, and we are looking for great talent like you to join our team!

We are seeking an experienced Support Team Manager to own our full customer support organization: an outsourced team handling Levels 1 and 2, and an internal team of 4 handling Level 3 escalations. This is a high-visibility role that sits at the center of the company. You will work daily with Field/Ground Ops, Remote Ops, R&D, Product, Commercial, and Safety to keep our customers running and our fleet flying. This is an opportunity for an experienced, hands-on people leader who wants ownership over an end-to-end support function and a seat at the table across the business.

Responsibilities

• Own performance and day-to-day operations across all three support levels: manage the 4 direct reports on the Level 3 team directly, and hold the outsourced partner accountable for Levels 1 and 2.
• Own support KPIs, SLAs, and ticket workflows/escalation paths across all levels, and report on performance and trends to leadership on a regular cadence.
• Own the Support automation and AI roadmap, turning operational pain points into AI-assisted workflows for triage, routing, and deflection.
• Design and manage a quality audit program across all three levels, holding the outsourced partner accountable to agreed quality benchmarks.
• Act as the primary escalation point for critical or high visibility customer issues, personally getting hands-on with complex technical investigations when a case demands it.
• Serve as the key cross-functional interface: Ground Ops and Remote Ops on field readiness and on-site or remote incidents, R&D and Product on fixes and roadmap input, Commercial on renewal-critical accounts, and Safety on flight-safety and regulatory matters.
• Own staffing, on-call coverage, and recruiting/onboarding for the Level 3 team, and manage the ongoing relationship and contract performance of the outsourced Level 1/2 vendor.
• Own the support knowledgebase and documentation strategy, keeping guides and training materials current across all three levels.

Requirements

This role requires more than people management. You will be expected to stay hands‑on and technically credible, able to jump into a hard problem alongside the team rather than only routing it.

• Deep, hands‑on technical background across hardware and software, comfortable personally diagnosing complex issues rather than only directing others.
• Willingness and ability to step directly into escalated technical investigations, remote diagnostics, or field level troubleshooting when a case demands it.
• Solid understanding of how UAV/drone hardware, onboard software, and cloud platforms interact end to end.
• Hands‑on experience with Windows and Linux operating systems, networking fundamentals, and remote connectivity/troubleshooting tools.
• Proficiency in scripting (Python or similar) to investigate logs, automate diagnostics, or build support tooling.
• Comfortable reading technical documentation, wiring diagrams, and system architecture to guide both the team and cross functional partners.
• Hands‑on experience with automation platforms (e.g. Zapier, Make, Torq, or similar) and proven use of generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or similar) to improve support efficiency and quality.