Zipline
Director of Airspace Policy and Regulatory Affairs
South San Francisco, California, USA +1 · Director · Full-time · Posted Sep 17, 2026
- Location
- South San Francisco, California, USA
South San Francisco, California, United States - Experience
- 10+ years in air traffic management, aviation systems, UAS operations, aviation regulation, UTM, spectrum policy, standards development, or a related field.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, computer science, aviation, air traffic management, public policy, or a related field.
About the job
Leads Zipline’s airspace policy and regulatory strategy to integrate autonomous UAS operations safely into complex airspace and translate regulations into practical requirements and deployment plans.
What you'll do
- Develop airspace integration policy, including deconfliction, spectrum coexistence, aircraft visibility, and UTM-related issues.
- Represent Zipline with regulators, aviation authorities, standards bodies, and industry groups; lead regulatory submissions and engagement.
- Translate regulatory developments and operational evidence into compliance roadmaps, standards contributions, and leadership guidance.
What they ask for
- Track record materially shaping complex UAS or AAM airspace-integration systems.
- Experience with advanced aviation integration and aviation/FCC spectrum issues affecting UAS.
- Leadership or substantive participation in international aviation standards or policy forums.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience in a related field; based in or willing to work from South San Francisco, California, with regular travel.
Nice to have
- Experience with production UAS operations, autonomous systems, BVLOS approvals, Part 135 operations, or large-scale logistics and mobility networks.
- Experience developing safety cases, assurance frameworks, operational concepts, or certification evidence for high-reliability systems.
Tools
UAS, AAM, eVTOL, FAA, FCC, ADS-B, Remote Identification (RID), UTM
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative