Head of Operations, Australia

Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building, manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally, wherever they are. 

From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart, to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes, we are transforming the way things move for businesses, governments and consumers. 

The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Through our technology that includes robotics and autonomy, we are decarbonizing delivery, decreasing road congestion, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.

About You and This Role

We are looking for a seasoned entrepreneurial leader in Sydney, Australia, to spearhead the launch of Platform 2, our next generation drone delivery technology. The role is a broad-spectrum business-operations role that will touch on nearly every aspect of the new business in Australia, and will require a can-do, “it’s not not my job” attitude. 

As one of the first members of our operation in Australia, you will be the go-to for successfully executing the launch of Zipline’s P2 platform in Australia, and strategy recommendations in Australia. 

This role will include important real estate development components such as overseeing the physical integration of our droneport with the existing customer infrastructure from a project management, regulatory, and permitting standpoint. The role also includes being our on-the-ground champion with local city stakeholders and the community - ensuring that the local city and community stakeholders are aligned and excited about the prospect of instant logistics right in their backyard. It also includes managing customer support after the launch of the service.

As part of this role, you will work closely with our Regulatory, Marketing, Operations and Engineering teams to ensure the smooth roll out of Platform 2 in our first launch-city in Australia, as well as future cities and regions. As a key member of Zipline’s senior leadership team, you will participate in strategic decisions that are critical to Zipline’s success and contribute to Zipline’s culture of continuous improvement and customer obsession. 

The ideal candidate has significant experience overseeing infrastructure projects and/or launching physical products or marketplaces, works closely with a wide-range of stakeholders across the private and public sector, has built and mentored high performing teams, and has an extremely high bar for excellence. The key to success in this role depends on the ability to successfully manage multiple competing workflows in a fast paced, high-growth environment, while effectively managing both internal and external stakeholders. 

This role is based in the greater Sydney area, and reports directly to the CEO, who is based in South San Francisco, USA. Travel will be required for the role, both domestically and internationally. 

What You'll Do

• Partner with our  teams that manage deployment of new infrastructure to project manage the physical build of Zipline drone infrastructure at our customer site.
• Represent the company to local government, community leaders, and approval boards to ensure that the launch can be carried out effectively.
• Serve as the point person and champion for city and  local community engagements to ensure there is full transparency and understanding, and that Zipline is taking into account our community’s needs.
• Liaise with regulatory, sales, new deployments, operations, engineering, and legal teams to ensure project opportunities and risks are clearly communicated and strategized.
• Ensure that Zipline can see around corners by remaining informed and up-to-date on relevant local and state regulations that impact our implementations process.
• Hire & coach a high performing team to support our launch efforts - this will not happen immediately, but will become a need as the business grows.
• Embody servant leadership, doing everything necessary to enable team members and cross-functional partners to succeed.

What You'll Bring

• 8+ years of work experience, including experience leading a multi-disciplinary team and launching a physical product or marketplace from scratch. 
• Knowledge of the real estate development process as well as comfort navigating permit applications and approvals.
• An inquisitive, agile, and challenge-focused mind, coupled with comfort navigating ambiguous and/or uncertain environments. 
• Experience with community engagement, public affairs or similar external engagements. 
• Excellent communication skills with a demonstrated track record of building internal relationships quickly and driving cross-functional work streams successfully. 
• A track record of leading high performing, multi-disciplinary teams and building, mentoring and performance-managing talent. 
• An ability to hone in on the smallest details that could impact launch timelines. 
• Must be eligible to work in Australia and be based or able to commute into the Sydney metro area.

What Else You Need To Know