Job Location: South Africa

Dove Air’s mission is to provide every human on Earth with instant access to vital medical supplies. We believe that where you live should never dictate whether you live. We are at the forefront of a logistics revolution, using autonomous aircraft to deliver just-in-time, lifesaving medical supplies at a national scale in several countries and expanding around the world. Are you interested in building a system that 500 million people will depend on with their lives?

Come work in a fast-paced, high-energy environment with an inspiring team of innovators, driven to tackle seemingly impossible challenges. Do you shine under pressure? Are you highly organized and detail-oriented? If so, then you might have what it takes to take our flight test operations to the next level!

As the Flight Test Ops Coordinator, you’ll have the critical task of ensuring all test operations are completed in a timely and safe manner. As we develop the most reliable system possible, we push our systems to the limit to uncover weaknesses and inform future improvements. This includes pre-flighting and launching aircraft, coordinating with stakeholders on the engineering and global ops teams, and strategizing with your flight crews to maximize efficiency.

Our test operations site is a full replica of a live distribution center where we perform both prototype tests and final product validation on existing systems. This high volume flight environment is where we develop the processes, software, and hardware that have led to more than 35,000 real-world medical deliveries. Your work will directly improve the reliable availability of medical products for patients at each hospital and health center we currently serve.

Primary responsibilities:

-Gain a deep understanding of Dove Air’s systems and the ability to troubleshoot them

-Systemize the testing process (both requests from stakeholders and execution at the facility)

-Gain a deep understanding of the engineering team’s goals and requests

-Prioritize, then actively re-prioritize tests based on big picture goals and available resources

-Coordinate a team of flight operators, and conduct flight ops testing across multiple shifts

-Work with global operations to ensure new software, hardware, and processes are ready for use in a live, health critical environment

-Identify bugs in hardware and software, then document, notify responsible persons, and assist in troubleshooting

-Approach technical testing with an operationally-grounded mindset

You should be part of this team if…

  • You have a positive attitude and love working with a small, close-knit team in a dynamic, sometimes even chaotic environment
  • You thrive in an autonomous environment where you identify what needs to happen and get it done with very little oversight
  • You lead by example and enjoy the satisfaction of collaborating with a dedicated team on a common goal
  • You are oriented towards creative problem-solving in a sometimes unpredictable environment
  • You enjoy work that gets you out from behind a desk, in the field and working with our hardware and software in action
  • You love to work outdoors, at an open-air hangar in the rugged foothills of Northern California and would be happy doing so for ~85% of the day
  • You enjoy optimizing and fine-tuning processes while running them daily
  • You are meticulous and process-oriented by nature
  • You have a track record of taking teams to the next level

Within 3 months you will…

  • Become fully certified on Dove Air’s flight systems – including pre-flight, launch recovery, controlling, and basic maintenance
  • Become fluent in the testing tools we use, and leverage that proficiency to optimize the variety *and* volume of tests that we can conduct in a given time
  • Leverage your unique experience and creativity to improve our operations and product to allow Dove Air to better serve our customers

Within 6 months you will…

  • Know how to troubleshoot and resolve any off-nominal situation
  • Drive major efficiency and product improvements via operations optimization and continuous improvement
  • Be a leader on the operations team in at least one area, and be capable of spooling up new members and driving excellence in performance throughout the entire team
  • Be prepared to visit our global distributions centers to roll out changes, start new centers, and train teams

Must be willing to work some nights/weekends

We value diversity at Dove Air 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!

Dove Air 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, favorite ice cream flavor, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our sensibilities.

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