Visual Observer

About Zipline

Zipline is the worlds 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 worlds 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 worlds 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 weve 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 peoples 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 and The Role

You will join Ziplines Flight Operations team as a Visual Observer based in Austin supporting safe repeatable autonomous aircraft operations that deliver medical supplies. This role exists to ensure public and crew safety during launches flights and deliveries by detecting reporting and mitigating airborne and ground hazards. Youll operate at outdoor field sites supporting scheduled commercial operations and test flights working on a crew with the RPIC (Fleet Command) and other site operators. Your work directly enables Ziplines mission to provide reliable lifesaving logistics under real-world weather traffic and community conditions and keeps aircraft operations legally compliant and publicly trusted.

What Youll Do

• Own visual observation for assigned flights from pre-launch through handoff/recovery and until the aircraft is secured; maintain continuous unaided line-of-sight of the aircraft and surrounding airspace.
• Detect and call out non-cooperative air traffic people vehicles wildlife and surface hazards; initiate escalation and immediate mitigations per crew procedures and stop operations when required.
• Monitor and report hazardous weather smoke or environmental conditions that affect launch/recovery; provide concise go/nogo inputs to the RPIC and site lead.
• Conduct and record preoperational site checks per checklist; verify clear launch/recovery corridors markings and safety equipment before each flight.
• Communicate realtime observations and coordinate with RPIC site lead and crew during briefings and dynamic events using standard radio/hand signals and logs.
• Complete incident reports flight logs and postflight safety documentation accurately and on time; support safety reviews and corrective actions to reduce repeat occurrences.
• Execute routine site setup and teardown tasks during shifts including deployment of visual markers and safety barriers and maintain site readiness for operations.
• Maintain operational readiness for day night and weekend shifts; participate in recurrent training competency checks and any required regulatory training.

What Youll Bring

• Required: Must be 18 and able to pass background and preemployment drug/alcohol screening and ongoing random testing.
• Required: Availability for assigned day night and weekend shifts at the Dallas site; both part-time and full-time schedules considered. Contract length 36 months as-stated by the hiring manager.
• Required: Comfortable working outdoors for extended periods in varying weather (heat rain wind); able to stand and visually scan for entire shifts and perform repetitive safetycritical tasks.
• Required: Clear calm radio and facetoface communication under operational stress; English fluency for safetycritical exchanges.
• Required: Ability to enforce safety rules with the public and crew and to make decisive hazard calls during operations.
• Preferred: FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate or prior UAS/aviation experience; candidates without Part 107 will complete Ziplines training and competency checks as required for the role.
• Working constraints: Onsite work at Austin launch/recovery sites with occasional schedule changes due to weather or flight demand; reliable local transport to assigned sites during shift windows.
• Measurable success outcomes: timely and accurate hazard detection and reporting zero preventable airspace incursions during assigned shifts 100% completion of required checklists and incident documentation and consistent shift attendance and readiness.

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 religion age sex national origin disability status genetics protected veteran status sexual orientation gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by federal state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

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!