Head of Weather Systems
Core
Lead the development and operational performance of automated weather intelligence systems that define environmental limits for Zipline's aircraft, directly impacting mission go/no-go decisions, uptime, and safety.
Role type
Owner-level Head of Weather Systems (Technical & Product Lead)
Builds
Automated weather intelligence and risk systems for mission decision logic
Domain
Aviation logistics, meteorology, and geospatial environmental science
Deliverable
production ML models
Required skills
Scientific Python (Pandas, NumPy, Xarray, NetCDF), time-series/streaming systems (Kafka), production stacks (Kubernetes, AWS, Rust/C++), meteorology/aviation weather expertise, quantitative metrics definition, validation experiment design, incident response management, cross-functional team leadership
Preferred skills
None stated
Technologies
Python, Pandas, NumPy, Xarray, NetCDF, Kafka, Kubernetes, AWS, Rust, C++
Responsibilities
Own end-to-end development and operational performance of the automated weather system; translate meteorological uncertainty into testable operational limits; define and measure success with quantitative targets; lead validation efforts using simulation, log replay, and flight tests; prioritize trade-offs across safety, availability, and cost; own cross-functional execution with Flight Operations and Safety; drive the roadmap for sensing and data ingestion; hire and mentor a small technical team; operate on-call rotation for system outages
Seniority
Owner-level, hands-on technical and product leadership