Strategic Operations Manager

Reposted 10 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
South San Francisco, CA, USA
In-Office
113K-300K Annually
Senior level
Aerospace • Hardware • Logistics • Robotics • Software • Transportation
Zipline democratizes access to critical medical supplies through instant drone delivery.
The Role
Own operating rhythms and business reviews, build forecasting, planning, and capacity models, develop dashboards and reporting, diagnose operational bottlenecks, and drive cross-functional initiatives from ambiguity to execution while creating scalable systems and processes.
Summary Generated by Built In
About Zipline

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. 

Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.

Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.

We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.

About You & the Role

Zipline is scaling new markets, operating systems, and launch infrastructure that only work if analytics, execution, and operating cadence stay tightly connected. We are looking for a Strategic Operations Manager who can build the mechanisms that help leadership see clearly, make decisions, and drive execution.

This is not a traditional PM role. You will move fluidly between building forecasting models, running operating reviews, coordinating cross-functional initiatives, identifying bottlenecks, and creating the systems that allow teams to scale. The mandate is simple: be a builder, not a coordinator.

What You’ll Do

You will own recurring operating rhythms and business reviews that turn leadership priorities into clear owners, dates, metrics, tradeoffs, and follow-through. You will make sure commitments are visible, decision points are crisp, and action items move from discussion to execution.

You will build and maintain planning, forecasting, and capacity models; develop dashboards and reporting that improve decision quality; diagnose operational bottlenecks; and drive cross-functional initiatives from ambiguity to execution across technical and non-technical teams.

You will create scalable systems and processes that improve organizational effectiveness as Zipline launches, scales, and operates new markets. That includes turning one-off efforts into repeatable mechanisms without adding bureaucracy.

What You’ll Bring
  • 5-10 years of experience in operations, business operations, strategic planning, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, program management, or another execution-heavy operating environment.
  • Strong analytical and modeling skills, with the ability to build practical tools that leaders and operators actually use.
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication; you can turn ambiguous work into clear narratives, decisions, and next steps.
  • Ability to work across technical and non-technical teams, align stakeholders, and drive accountability without hiding behind process.
  • A demonstrated history of creating systems that scale: operating cadences, planning models, dashboards, review mechanisms, ownership models, and follow-up loops.
  • Comfort operating in ambiguity and high-growth environments where the right answer changes as the business learns.
  • High execution discipline; you can build a model in the morning, facilitate an executive review in the afternoon, and drive action items to closure by the end of the day.
What Else You Need to Know

This will be an in-office role based out of our South San Francisco HQ. Must be able to travel up to 25% of the time either to our HQ or into the Field.

The starting cash range for this role is $112,500 - $200,000; please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. We are always open to negotiation. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; overtime pay; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to protected characteristics.

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!

Skills Required

  • 5-10 years of experience in operations, business operations, strategic planning, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain, program management, or similar
  • Strong analytical and modeling skills; ability to build practical tools leaders and operators use
  • Exceptional written and verbal communication; translate ambiguity into clear narratives, decisions, and next steps
  • Ability to work across technical and non-technical teams, align stakeholders, and drive accountability
  • Demonstrated history of creating scalable systems: operating cadences, planning models, dashboards, review mechanisms, and follow-up loops
  • Comfort operating in ambiguity and high-growth environments where requirements evolve
  • High execution discipline; able to build models, facilitate executive reviews, and drive actions to closure rapidly
  • Must be able to work in-office at South San Francisco HQ
  • Willingness and ability to travel up to 25% of the time to HQ or field sites

Zipline Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Zipline and has not been reviewed or approved by Zipline.

  • Healthcare Strength Healthcare coverage is consistently described as comprehensive and high quality, with multiple plan choices, low out‑of‑pocket costs, and additions like HRA, One Medical, and fertility support.
  • Parental & Family Support Parental and family leave is highlighted as generous and meaningfully used, reinforcing support for major life events.
  • Leave & Time Off Breadth Paid time off, sick days, and holidays are portrayed as solid and broadly available, contributing to overall benefits depth.

Zipline Insights

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The Company
HQ: South San Francisco, CA
375 Employees
Year Founded: 2014

What We Do

Zipline is the world's largest autonomous delivery network and is powered entirely by fixed-wing drones. Our fleet circles the equivalent distance of the equator every 2.5 days, and we have shipped hundreds of thousands of critical medical products across Rwanda, Ghana, and now beginning in the United States.

Why Work With Us

Zipline is the perfect intersection of super cutting-edge tech, deep social mission, and extremely compelling business case. Our small, scrappy, customer-obsessed, humble, and mission-driven team has set the bar for what is possible in the drone logistics industry globally, and has designed some incredibly elegant technology in the process.

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