Director of Country Operations

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 And The Role

Zipline operates one of the most advanced autonomous logistics networks in the world. As we scale across countries and deepen our partnerships, delivering consistent operational performance while maintaining rigorous standards of execution is mission-critical. We are seeking a Country Head of Product to own operational performance, continuous improvement, and standards execution across all Nests within a country. This role serves as the in-country owner of operational excellence, ensuring that performance targets are achieved sustainably, safely, and in alignment with Zipline's global operating model. Working closely with Nest Leads, Compliance Officers, and Global Operations and Engineering teams, the Country Head of Product is responsible for identifying systemic issues, driving structured problem-solving, leading implementation of operational and product improvements, and ensuring consistent adoption of global standards across the country. Success in this role requires exceptional systems thinking, operational leadership, cross-functional influence, and the ability to drive accountability without direct authority.

What You'll Do

Own Country Operational Performance

Own country-level operational and service KPIs across all Nests. Drive accountability with Nest Leads to achieve performance targets and close operational gaps. Monitor performance trends and identify opportunities to improve service quality, reliability, and efficiency. Ensure consistent execution and operational performance across the network.

Ensure Excellence in Execution

Collaborate with Global Operations Excellence and Governance teams to uphold quality, safety, and compliance performance across every Nest location. Ensure SOPs, operational standards, and governance frameworks are consistently implemented across all Nests. Act as the primary in-country operational point of contact for regulatory matters, partnering with Global Regulatory to support audits, inspections, and engagements. Partner with Compliance Officers to identify execution gaps and drive corrective and preventive actions (CAPA).

Drive Continuous Improvement

Lead structured root cause analysis (RCA) on major operational issues and recurring performance challenges. Drive cross-functional improvement initiatives in partnership with Global Operations Excellence, Product, Engineering, and Operations teams. Translate operational, customer, and field insights into prioritized improvement opportunities. Deliver measurable improvements in service performance, scalability, and unit economics.

Connect Country Operations to Global Teams

Represent country operational interests by communicating critical field observations and institutional knowledge to Global teams. Lead rollout and adoption of operational, product, and system changes. Ensure alignment with global operating models, governance frameworks, regulatory requirements, and standards. Partner with Global Regulatory, Ops and Engineering teams to support regulatory approvals and operational readiness for new products, services, and market expansions. Support the evolution of products, processes, and operating standards through field-based insights.

What Success Looks Like

Country-level operational and service KPIs consistently meet or exceed targets. Performance gaps are identified quickly and resolved through structured, sustainable solutions. Operational standards are consistently executed across all Nests. Quality, safety, and compliance performance remain strong and audit-ready. Product, process, and system changes are adopted successfully without operational degradation. Continuous improvement initiatives deliver measurable gains in service performance, efficiency, and cost. Operational insights from the field influence meaningful improvements in global systems, products, and standards.

What You'll Bring

5+ years of experience in operations, engineering, logistics, manufacturing, quality, program management, or related fields. Demonstrated success driving operational performance and continuous improvement in complex environments. Strong problem-solving and root cause analysis capabilities, with a track record of delivering sustainable improvements. Strong project management skills and the ability to drive execution across teams without direct authority. Analytical fluency with operational, quality, and cost-performance metrics. Exceptional communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence both local and global teams. Grit, ownership, and resilience to operate in high-accountability, high-ambiguity environments.

What Else You Need To Know

This role is based in-country and will require regular field visits (:50% travel) to Zipline operational sites. You must have the legal right to work in Rwanda

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies.

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!

Please Note

We have received reports stating that certain individuals are reaching out to people under false pretenses, claiming to be Zipline employees, affiliates, agents, or representatives. They may seek to gain access to your personal information or to acquire money from you by offering fictitious employment opportunities or by claiming that they are contacting you on Zipline’s behalf.

Genuine Zipline employees or representatives will never ask you for money or payment in exchange for employment opportunities or other related services. Any such offer of employment or any other service in exchange for fees that claims to be from us is deceitful and part of a fraud.

If you believe you have been targeted by a fraudulent party, we ask that you immediately get in touch with us via email at security@flyzipline.com upon receiving a suspicious offer or claim.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Zipline ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

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