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Salary: USD 170,000 - 215,000 / annual
Skydio is seeking an experienced operations leader to join Solutions Engineering as Manager, Solutions Operations. This role owns the technical operations that enable the Solutions Engineering organization: the headquarters demo program (aircraft, docks, network, controllers), capture of flight imagery and integration content, and the content library that serves the entire organization.
You will lead live demonstrations for VIP customers, partners, and government visitors alongside Skydio leadership on a regular basis. You will use the demo environment to onboard new Solutions Engineers and Solutions Specialists and keep the field current on new capabilities.
Key Responsibilities:
- Run the HQ demo program: Lead live demonstrations at headquarters for VIP customers, summits, partners, press, and government visitors. Own the demo environment (aircraft, docks, network, controllers, props) and maintain airworthiness, batteries, firmware, and spares so the fleet is ready to fly on short notice. Set the demo standard the rest of the organization runs against.
- Own content and library: Plan and run capture missions (flights, imagery, scans, dock deployments) that produce footage and data used organization-wide. Build demo scripts, reference architectures, and trial plan templates. Maintain a single, version-controlled library that is findable and current. Capture integration and competitive material showing where Skydio wins.
- Enable the team: Own onboarding curriculum for new Solutions Engineers and Specialists, including hands-on flight and dock time, shadowing plans, and readiness checkpoints. Ingest new product developments, get hands-on with pre-release capability, and translate releases into field-ready guidance. Work across all verticals (National Security, SLED, Commercial, Launch) and partner with Sales Enablement and Training.
- Represent the customer inside Skydio: Be a source of ground truth on how the product demonstrates and how quickly people learn it. Turn repeated observations into prioritized, defensible feedback to Product and Engineering.
This role reports to the VP, Solutions Engineering. Travel of approximately 15% is required to capture content in the field, support field teams, and support company events. The role is cross-vertical, touching every part of Solutions Engineering and working with account teams, Engineering, Product, Customer Success, Training, and Sales Enablement.
Requirements:
- 5+ years in technical operations, field operations, customer-facing technical, or enablement role
- Hands-on sUAS (small unmanned aircraft systems) operating experience and judgment to fly safely and legally in front of an audience
- Comfortable presenting live to senior executives and customers; steady when things do not go to plan
- Track record of building technical content or programs that others actually used
- Fast at learning new technology and clear at explaining it; comfortable working across many teams with different customers, priorities, and vocabulary
- Familiarity with DFR (detect-and-avoid) concepts of operation and dock-based remote operations
- Organized and consistent; able to maintain a demo fleet, library, and ramp program
- Lead by example; willing to do whatever is needed to resolve customer situations
- FAA Part 107 Certificate, or ability to obtain one within 60 days of hire
- Ability to work on-site at Skydio headquarters in San Mateo, California
- Ability to travel approximately 15% of the time
- Ability to lift up to 60 lbs unaided
Nice to Have:
- Experience running a demo center, lab, or fleet operation
- Prior public safety service or agency UAS program experience
- Experience with dock-based, remote, or BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) operations at scale
- Video and photo production skills for demo and enablement content
- Working knowledge of public safety technologies (CAD, VMS) or Salesforce and learning platforms (Uplimit)
About Skydio
Defense / GovTech; Industrial — autonomous drones for defense, public safety, and enterprise.
