Project Manager - Precision Agriculture

AirVani is a dual-use technology startup developing the Catenary Aerial System™ (CAS) , shared power infrastructure that enables electric drones and future aircraft to draw power or recharge while in flight. AirVani is seeking a Program Manager — Precision Agriculture to lead our initial commercial work in agriculture and help turn early customer demand into a repeatable market. You will sit at the intersection of customers, engineering, drone operators, sensing technologies, and field operations. You will own customer execution, translate operational requirements into technical priorities, coordinate field deployments, and help develop the business case for CAS-enabled agricultural operations. This is a hands‑on program role with significant ownership over both customer delivery and market development. Travel: Up to 40% to field sites and customer locations. What You’ll Do Lead end‑to‑end execution of precision‑agriculture customer programs and commercial contracts Manage customer relationships, schedules, budgets, partners, and program deliverables Coordinate deployment of CAS infrastructure at customer sites, including site access, power availability, and field logistics Translate grower and agribusiness needs into aircraft, sensor, data, and infrastructure requirements Coordinate AirVani engineers, drone‑service providers, sensor vendors, and external technical partners Plan and execute field demonstrations and customer pilots Define and track operating KPIs including acreage per hour, aircraft utilization, payload performance, downtime, and cost per mission Develop business cases comparing CAS‑enabled operations with battery swapping, charging, and other operating models Support FAA operating requirements, including BVLOS and Part 137 considerations where applicable Develop relationships with growers, agribusinesses, insurers, universities, extension programs, and other ecosystem partners Identify follow‑on deployments and commercialization opportunities What We’re Looking For 5+ years of experience in precision agriculture, ag‑tech, UAS operations, agricultural services, or a related field Experience managing complex technical programs involving hardware, field operations, and multiple stakeholders Strong understanding of agricultural operating environments and customer workflows Ability to translate operational needs into clear technical requirements Comfort working directly with engineers, operators, customers, and external partners Experience planning or supporting field deployments and demonstrations Strong written and verbal communication skills Willingness to spend meaningful time at customer and field sites Comfort operating in an early‑stage company with significant ownership and limited structure Particularly Relevant Experience Precision‑agriculture operations or technology Hyperspectral, multispectral, thermal, LiDAR, or other remote‑sensing systems GIS tools such as ArcGIS or QGIS Agricultural data layers such as NDVI, soil maps, yield maps, or prescription maps Farm Management Information Systems, including platforms such as John Deere Operations Center Understanding of seasonal agricultural workflows and operating cycles BVLOS operations or large‑scale UAS deployments FAA Part 137 agricultural aircraft operations Civil engineering, rural infrastructure, utilities, or field‑deployment projects Agricultural insurance, risk management, or carbon / sustainability verification Experience working with land‑grant universities or agricultural extension programs Precision agriculture provides a high‑utilization environment in which endurance, payload capacity, charging downtime, and aircraft utilization have measurable economic consequences. This role offers the opportunity to lead one of AirVani’s first commercial markets while helping determine how shared aerial power infrastructure can improve the economics of persistent UAS operations. #J-18808-Ljbffr AirVani