Sr. Operations Specialist – Launch Team

Skills this role screens for

About the role

Skydio is the leading US drone company and the world leader in autonomous flight, the key technology for the future of drones and aerial mobility. The Skydio team combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence, best-in-class hardware and software product development, operational excellence, and customer obsession to empower a broader, more diverse audience of drone users, from utility inspectors https://www.skydio.com/solutions/energy-and-utilities to first responders https://www.skydio.com/solutions/public-safety, soldiers in battlefield scenarios https://www.skydio.com/solutions/national-security/tactical-isr, and beyond https://www.skydio.com/solutions.

The work

About the Role

Skydio is seeking a Readiness Specialist to get our dock customers from signed opportunity to a running program. You will own a book of accounts within a region, from large cities to small towns, and project manage each customer through everything that has to be true before a dock flies: the site, the network, the policy and approvals behind the program, the flight operation that will run it, and a clean handoff to Customer Success. Most of that work is done by other people, inside the customer and inside Skydio, and none of them report to you. The job is building the relationships that get it done, and holding the date.

This is a remote role. Travel of 50 to 60% is required to support site surveys, customer engagements, deployments, team onsites, and company events.

The company

About the Team

The Launch Team is the operational arm of Skydio's dock business. We sit between the opportunity and the running program, and readiness means everything a customer needs to launch. We do not perform every piece of that work, but we project manage the customer to all of it and are accountable for the date.

Readiness starts before the contract is signed. Much of it runs on calendar time Skydio does not control, such as an engineering study, a purchase order, or an MOU in legal review, so the earlier it starts, the sooner the dock is in the ground. The team is measured on time-to-launch, readiness gate adherence, deployment schedule performance, and the condition of the program at handoff.

Readiness Specialists are critical members of the Skydio organization and work closely with Account Executives, Solutions Engineers, Deployment Engineering, Integrations, and Customer Success to support successful deployments, customer confidence, and the long-term success of dock programs.

Also

How You’ll Make an Impact

• Own a book of dock accounts within your region and run the weekly customer cadence, readiness record, and risk tracking on every one, from opportunity through clean handoff to Customer Success.
• Build the working relationships that move a launch: the customer's program manager, facilities and IT staff, procurement, and legal on the outside, and Account Executives, Solutions Engineers, Deployment, and Customer Success on the inside.
• Lead site surveys and make-ready planning, including rooftop and site assessments, power and mounting, and RF, LTE, and network readiness with the customer's IT and network administrators.
• Drive the non-technical path to launch: waivers and BVLOS approvals, policy and data retention, council or board authorization, and pilot staffing and training. Name that work for the customer early so it does not surprise them later.
• Hold the line on readiness gates. Deployment prerequisites are verified before a dock ships, and when an account goes dark or a blocker exceeds your authority, escalate early through the AE, SE, or leader who can clear it.
• Cover for other specialists in your region during absence or surge, and turn what you see across launches into playbook improvements and prioritized, defensible feedback for Product and Engineering.

Also

What Makes You a Good Fit

• 3+ years in a customer-facing project management, implementation, deployment, or operations role.
• Experience managing a portfolio of concurrent projects with tim