Launch Manager

Zipline • South San Francisco, CA

2d • Hybrid

About The Position

Zipline is building the charging-point and partner network that brings new delivery capacity online. As a Launch Manager, you will own deployments in assigned markets from approval through first delivery and transition to stable operations. This is hands-on launch ownership, not coordination. You will run the integrated launch plan, drive readiness decisions and escalations across teams, and work in the field to make launches safe and repeatable. Success means completing readiness gates, enabling first delivery, and handing field teams an operation they can run and scale.

Requirements

• 6+ years of experience in operations, deployment, infrastructure rollout, logistics, marketplace expansion, or physical-network scaling.
• A record of owning complex, cross-functional launches or rollouts through go-live in real operating environments.
• Experience building integrated plans across multiple teams and resolving dependencies affecting schedule, readiness, and execution.
• Sound field judgment to distinguish documented readiness from conditions that support a safe, successful launch.
• Ability to move between executive-level tradeoffs and site-level details, readiness checklists, and partner coordination.
• Comfort working through ambiguity, time pressure, and changing field conditions while maintaining structure and follow-through.

Nice To Haves

• Frequent travel to cities throughout the U.S. to directly support charging-location and partner-site launches; experience with physical infrastructure, logistics networks, aviation, robotics, autonomous systems, permitting, or construction is valued.

Responsibilities

• Own integrated launch plans and critical paths for charging locations and partner sites from approval through first delivery.
• Build the systems, tools, operating rhythms, and readiness mechanisms that make launches safe, fast, repeatable, and scalable.
• Lead site-level readiness; identify blockers, clarify owners, drive decisions, and escalate, schedule, regulatory, or partner tradeoffs that require functional alignment.
• Coordinate infrastructure, permitting, flight operations, maintenance, regulatory, commercial, community engagement, and partner workstreams against launch milestones.
• Establish readiness gates, playbooks, dashboards, and operating rhythms that make deployments repeatable across metros, partners, and future verticals.
• Track schedule, regulatory status, partner readiness, blockers, and operational handoff health; provide clear visibility to stakeholders.
• Lead retrospectives using field results and operational data to remove systemic bottlenecks and improve future launches.
• Drive transition to stable operations, ensuring each site is practical for field teams, measurable, and prepared to scale.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed