flight Operations Manager - Drone Services

You will lead Skyports' flight operations, based from our operations facility in Westcott, Aylesbury. The role covers people leadership, operational delivery, safety, regulatory compliance, and resource planning across our global operations. You will be responsible for Remote Pilots and Team Leaders, ensuring that operations are delivered safely, efficiently, and in accordance with regulatory requirements, internal procedures, and customer commitments. The role is suited to an experienced aviation or drone operations leader who is comfortable overseeing BVLOS and VLOS operations, inspection, delivery and other complex UAS missions, while managing a growing operational team across multiple locations.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day delivery of flight operations.
• Oversee mission planning, pre-flight preparation, flight execution, and operational close-out.
• Ensure all missions are conducted in accordance with approved SOPs, ConOps, operational authorisations, and Skyports’.
• Manage aircraft and platform readiness, engineering authorisations, maintenance requirements, and serviceability.
• Own operational resourcing plans across people, aircraft, ground equipment, and Remote Operations Centres (ROCs).
• Ensure the Westcott operation is appropriately resourced and ready to support current and future programmes.
• Maintain and promote a strong safety culture across the Flight Operations team.
• Ensure Remote Pilots maintain the required competency, currency, qualifications, and engineering authorisations.
• Support and lead operational safety reviews, occurrence and incident reporting, investigations, and corrective actions.
• Ensure operations remain compliant with applicable aviation regulations and Skyports’ internal operating standards.
• Liaise with the relevant authorities, airspace stakeholders, aerodromes, landowners, and other relevant authorities in support of operational approvals and permissions.
• Work closely with the Safety and Regulatory teams to maintain and develop operational authorisations as Skyports’ capabilities expand.
• Line manage Remote Pilots and Team Leaders.
• Run regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and technical development plans.
• Drive the Flight Operations training and competency pathway, ensuring Remote Pilots progress through the appropriate qualification levels.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, standardisation, recurrent training, and skills development.
• Build a strong operational culture centred on safety, professionalism, accountability, and continuous improvement.
• Represent Skyports Drone Services with customers, partners, aviation stakeholders, and operational suppliers.
• Work closely with Business Development, Technology, Engineering, Safety, Regulatory, and Project teams.
• Support customer onboarding, demonstrations, trials, operational readiness activities, and contract delivery milestones.
• Ensure clear communication between operational teams and programme stakeholders, particularly when managing competing operational priorities.
• Build operational capability as new programmes and locations come online.
• Support the identification and establishment of suitable take-off and landing points (TOLPs), Remote Operations Centres, operating bases, and associated infrastructure.
• Support recruitment, contractor onboarding, and future team scaling.
• Help develop processes, systems, and operating standards that enable Skyports to scale complex BVLOS operations safely and efficiently.
• Contribute operational expertise to the introduction of new aircraft, technologies, and concepts of operation.

Requirements

• Proven operational leadership experience within aviation, UAS/drone operations, or another safety-critical environment.
• Strong understanding of UAS regulation and operating frameworks, including experience with complex and/or BVLOS operations.
• Experience managing multi-site, deployed, or remotely operated teams.
• Good technical understanding of UAS platforms, ground control systems, communications systems, maintenance cycles, and operational/engineering authorisations.
• Experience managing operational risk and working within formal safety management systems.
• Strong people-management skills, with experience developing and maintaining competent operational teams.
• Clear and confident communicator who is comfortable working directly with customers, regulators, and operational stakeholders.
• Strong planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple operational priorities.
• Willingness to travel to operational sites across the UK and internationally where required.
• Ability to work regularly from our Westcott, Aylesbury facility.

Nice to have

• Previous experience as a Remote Pilot or UAS Flight Operations Manager.
• Experience delivering BVLOS operations under UK CAA operational authorisations.
• Familiarity with SORA or other structured operational risk assessment methodologies.
• Experience introducing new aircraft or operational capabilities into service.
• Experience supporting flight trials, demonstrations, logistics, inspection, surveillance, or other commercial drone programmes.