Chief Pilot, Australia

About Zipline

Do you want to change the world? 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. Using 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.

Join Zipline and help us to make good on our promise to build an equitable and more resilient global supply chain for billions of people.

About You and The Role

The Chief Pilot is the senior operational authority responsible for the safe, compliant, and scalable execution of Zipline’s Australian operations, reporting to the Managing Director of Zipline Australia. This role is responsible for managing all aspects of flight safety, operational training, crew oversight, and regulatory compliance.

This position combines traditional Chief Pilot accountability with modern autonomous aviation operations leadership. The Chief Pilot sets operational standards, ensures regulatory alignment, oversees crew proficiency and performance, and partners cross-functionally to integrate evolving aircraft platforms and autonomous capabilities. The role is critical to maintaining Zipline’s safety culture while enabling rapid, disciplined growth across multiple operational sites.

What You'll Do

Operational Leadership & Oversight

• Serve as the CASA registered Chief Pilot for our operations in Australia with authority over all flight crew members.

• Oversee day-to-day flight operations to ensure compliance with CASA regulations, OpsSpecs, and Zipline policies, processes, and procedures.

• Delegate operational authority as appropriate to Flight Operations Managers (FOMs) while maintaining overall accountability.

• Ensure only trained, qualified, and current crew members are assigned to flight duties.

Safety, Compliance & Regulatory Engagement

• Ensure full compliance with CASA regulations, approved manuals, and OpSpecs.

• Monitor flight operations deviations, investigate operational irregularities, and drive corrective and preventive actions.

• Lead operational risk assessments, safety audits, and readiness reviews for new site launches and operational changes.
Maintain authority to communicate with CASA, and other regulatory or investigative bodies

• Submit required regulatory reports and support OpSpecs amendments
Take immediate action, when necessary, to address flight or crew-related situations that may compromise safety or compliance.

Training, Standardization & Crew Management

• In collaboration with Ziplines US operations - develop, approve, and maintain flight operations manuals, procedures, and training programs.

• Oversee initial, recurrent, and remedial training for flight crews, ensuring proficiency, standardization, and training currency.

• Lead crew member hiring, staffing, scheduling, duty-time compliance, and performance management.

• Maintain responsibility for all crew personnel and training records.

• Act as a mentor and senior leader for crew development and operational leadership growth.

Operational Systems, Data & Continuous Improvement

• Track and analyze operational data to identify trends, risks, and opportunities for improvement.

• Review and resolve flight operations issues arising from operational irregularities.

• Monitor event response and participate directly in response activities when required.

• Maintain authority over operational documentation, revision control, and distribution.

Platform & Cross-Functional Integration

• Serve as the platform subject matter expert for operational integration of Zipline aircraft systems in Australia

• Coordinate OEM-related platform changes, updates, and evolutions to ensure operational consistency and compliance.

• Partner with Maintenance, Engineering, and Software teams on hub, metro, and system configurations.

• Build and distribute Flight Operations Bulletins and operational communications outlining procedural or training changes.

• Coordinate with global operations teams to align standards, best practices, and training frameworks.

What You'll Bring

• CASA Remote Pilot Certificate

• CASA Private or Commercial Pilot Certification preferred

• Experience in BVLOS operations

• Minimum 5+ years of aviation experience, including sUAS operations.

• Demonstrated experience developing and managing:

• Operations manuals and procedures

• Training programs and standardization frameworks

• Safety and compliance programs in regulated environment

• Proven leadership experience overseeing operations personnel and management.

• Experience hiring, staffing, scheduling, duty-time compliance, and performance management

• Strong operational judgment and ability to make safety-critical decisions in dynamic environments

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience

• Australian citizen or permanent resident.

What Else You Need to Know

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!