Operations Manager

Location: Bay Area (deployment-facing) with travel

ABOUT US

Buoyant Aero builds autonomous lighter-than-air aircraft. We’re transitioning from prototype shop to operating company — running daily commercial deployments in challenging real-world environments.

We’re a small, technical, fast-moving team building a new category of aerial infrastructure and media platform.

THE ROLE

You will own the operational backbone of our SF deployment and the deployments that follow.

That means:

- SOPs that exist, get followed, and improve

- Crew schedules that hold

- Spares inventories that don’t run out offshore

- Calm, professional execution even when conditions change quickly

You will be responsible for making deployments feel reliable, repeatable, and scalable.

RESPONSIBILITIES

- Own deployment SOPs (launch, recovery, battery swaps, weather calls, emergency procedures)

- Coordinate pilots, vessel crew, and field operations staff

- Run daily deployment debriefs and weekly ops reviews

- Manage spares, batteries, helium logistics, transport, and deployment readiness

- Serve as the on-site operational point of contact for clients

- Track operational metrics including uptime, cancellations, cycle time, and cost per flight hour

- Identify operational risks before they become incidents

YOU PROBABLY HAVE

- 5+ years running field operations in aviation, maritime, film/TV production, military logistics, expedition operations, field service, or similar environments

- Strong operational judgment under pressure

- Comfort with checklists as a craft, not a chore

- Excellent written communication skills — a large portion of this role is documentation and coordination

- Willingness to spend significant time on boats during deployment seasons

BONUS

- Part 107 certification (or willingness to obtain one — we’ll sponsor)

- Aviation, drone, or UAS operations background

- Maritime operations experience

COMPENSATION

Competitive salary + equity for full time positions.

Send a short note and resume to View email address on click.appcast.io.