[Hiring] Flight Operations Manager @J.S. Held LLC

Role Description

We are seeking a Flight Operations Manager to coordinate J.S. Held's enterprise drone program. This role will help establish a scalable and well-governed operating environment by improving visibility into the fleet, supporting pilot and regulatory requirements, administering technology and vendor relationships, and enabling consistent billing and reporting practices.

The ideal candidate combines strong program-management and operational skills with practical knowledge of commercial drone operations. This role partners across Practices, Operations, Finance, Legal, Information Technology, and the firm’s pilot community. It provides enterprise coordination and does not have direct report pilots.

Job Responsibilities

• Program Management and Governance
  • Coordinate the enterprise drone program and maintain visibility into drone assets, pilots, certifications, utilization, and flight activity.
  • Develop and maintain SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures), training, practical policies, procedures, records, and controls that support consistent operations across the firm.
  • Track program performance and provide concise reporting on utilization, compliance, billing, risks, and implementation progress.
  • Entrepreneurial mindset towards continued refinement of Fleet Management and new revenue opportunities.
• Fleet Operations and Compliance
  • Coordinate drone inventory, registration, assignment, maintenance, insurance, and retirement activities.
  • Monitor applicable FAA requirements, pilot credentials, renewals, authorizations, and recordkeeping obligations; escalate specialized matters to the appropriate internal or external experts.
  • Support risk assessments, incident reporting, corrective actions, and periodic compliance reviews.
• Billing and Business Support
  • Partner with Finance and practice operations to establish consistent and transparent drone billing and documentation practices.
  • Help connect flight activity to the appropriate project or engagement and maintain records needed for invoicing, audit, and client questions.
  • Monitor billing adoption and exceptions and report on drone activity, billings, recoveries, costs, and program economics.
• Technology and Vendor Management
  • Lead requirements definition, RFP support, evaluation, and implementation of a drone fleet-management platform, subject to the firm’s approval and investment governance processes.
  • Administer the selected platform, including data standards, user access, workflow design, data quality, vendor performance, and enhancement priorities.
  • Coordinate relationships with drone technology, equipment, training, and compliance vendors in accordance with firm policies.
• Cross-Functional Coordination
  • Partner with practice leaders, pilots, and corporate functions to support adoption, resolve issues, and align program priorities.
  • Coordinate pilot onboarding, training, certification tracking, and program communications.
  • Serve as the central point of coordination for program questions and route technical, legal, regulatory, safety, or accounting matters to the appropriate subject matter expert.

Qualifications

• Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent combination of education and relevant experience.
  • Five or more years of experience in program management, operations, fleet or asset management, compliance administration, field operations, or a related discipline.
  • Practical knowledge of commercial drone operations and applicable FAA requirements.
  • Experience implementing standardized processes across multiple teams, locations, or business units.
  • Experience selecting, implementing, or administering an operational, fleet, asset, compliance, or workflow technology platform.
  • Strong analytical, reporting, organizational, and stakeholder-management skills.
  • FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate.
  • Clear written and verbal communication skills, sound judgment, and the ability to manage multiple workstreams without relying on direct reporting authority.
• Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience supporting a multi-location drone, aviation, field-services, equipment-management, or other regulated operational program.
  • Experience with drone fleet-management platforms, flight-log systems, or asset-management solutions.
  • Experience supporting billing, cost recovery, project accounting, or client documentation in a professional services environment.
  • Familiarity with commercial insurance schedules, FAA waivers or authorizations, and specialized drone operating environments.
  • Project management, safety management, process improvement, or change management certification or training.

Requirements

• Ability to work at a computer and review operational, regulatory, and financial information for extended periods.
• Ability to communicate effectively with geographically dispersed stakeholders and manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
• Ability to travel occasionally and access field or equipment-storage locations when needed.
• Ability to safely handle or move typical small-drone equipment and cases, with reasonable accommodation as applicable.
• Occasional work outside standard business hours may be required to support operational needs.

Benefits

• Flexible work environment allows employees to work remotely, when needed.
• Flexible Time Off policy.
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance.
• 401k Match.
• Commuter Benefit.
• A reasonable estimate of the salary range for this role is $120,000-140,000.