Launch Operator Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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.

Zipline is seeking a Launch Manager to lead the end-to-end deployment of Charging Points and the partner ecosystem that enables the network to scale. This is a senior, highly cross‑functional role responsible for driving sites from approval through first delivery and into stable operations.

This is not a coordination role. It is a launch ownership role. You will turn complex, cross‑functional dependencies into clear plans, drive teams through execution, surface and resolve blockers, make tradeoffs visible, and ensure new capacity comes online safely, quickly, and repeatably.

You will operate at two altitudes. First, you will be close to the field, working through the details that determine whether launches actually happen. Second, you will build the systems, playbooks, dashboards, readiness gates, and operating rhythms that allow Zipline to scale launches across metros, partners, and future verticals.

The right person is a high‑agency operator‑builder: calm under pressure, energized by ambiguity, comfortable with frequent travel and hands‑on field execution, and excited to build the launch engine for one of the most ambitious autonomy and infrastructure networks in the world.

Please note that this role requires frequent travel to cities throughout the U.S. to directly support launches of charging locations and partner sites.

• Build and manage the critical path for each launch, integrating workstreams across infrastructure, permitting, flight operations, maintenance, partner readiness, community engagement, regulatory, and commercial teams.
• Act as the launch captain on the ground: identify blockers, drive decisions, escalate tradeoffs, and keep teams aligned on what must happen next.
• Build the systems, tools, operating rhythms, and readiness mechanisms that make launches safe, fast, repeatable, and scalable.
• Translate cross‑functional requirements across infrastructure, permitting, flight operations, maintenance, partner readiness, community engagement, and commercial teams into integrated launch plans.
• Serve as the program owner for launch outcomes across assigned markets, driving alignment, accountability, tradeoff decisions, and executive visibility.
• Use field results, operational data, and launch retrospectives to improve processes and remove systemic bottlenecks.
• Develop scalable playbooks, dashboards, escalation paths, and standard operating models for new metros, partners, and verticals.
• Partner closely with field teams to ensure launch systems are practical, adopted, and effective in real operating environments.
• Drive the transition from launch to stable operations, ensuring sites are operationally ready, measurable, and set up to scale.

• 6+ years of experience in operations, launch, deployment, infrastructure rollout, logistics, marketplace expansion, or physical network scaling.
• A track record of owning complex launches or rollouts where success depended on aligning many teams, resolving real‑world blockers, and driving to a go‑live date.
• High agency and strong follow‑through. When something is stuck, you find the owner, clarify the decision, unblock the path, and keep moving.
• Strong field judgment. You know how to distinguish a plan that looks good in a meeting from a launch that is actually ready.
• The ability to switch altitude quickly: from executive updates and cross‑functional tradeoffs to site‑level details and readiness checklists.
• Comfort operating in ambiguity, time pressure, and changing conditions without losing structure or composure.
• Strong communication instincts, especially when creating clarity across teams that have different priorities.

• Experience launching physical infrastructure, logistics networks, or new market operations.
• Background in aviation, robotics, autonomous systems, logistics, or last‑mile delivery.
• Experience working with city stakeholders, permitting, or construction workflows.
• MBA or advanced degree in a relevant field.

The starting cash range for this role is $140,000-180,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal‑opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!