Launch & Deployment Manager - DFW

Description

About this role:

Flytrex is scaling backyard drone delivery across DFW and into new metros. The Launch & Deployment Manager owns each new site from approval through first delivery and into stable operations. You build the critical path across site readiness, electrical and power infrastructure, permitting, flight operations, maintenance, and partner readiness, and you are the launch captain on the ground who finds the blocker and drives the decision.

This is not a coordination desk. Every Flytrex site is a physical build with real power needs: drone hubs, chargers, cameras, RTK, networking, and either utility service or a generator behind it. You own that electrical build-out directly: you scope it, get the utility and the city to say yes, manage licensed electricians through inspection and energization, and make sure the chargers have the watts they need before the first drone flies.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Launch Ownership

• Own new sites from approval through launch and stable operations to hit target go-live dates.
• Build and run critical path plans covering site readiness, power, permits, operations, staffing, and partners; address risks early with solutions.
• Act as on-ground launch captain to clear blockers and escalate decision-ready options to leadership.
• Enforce go/no-go criteria across infrastructure, safety, and flight readiness, running acceptance checkouts before first flight.
• Lead post-launch reviews to update playbooks for faster, lower-cost future rollouts.

2. Site Selection & Feasibility

• Assess candidate sites for power, access, line of sight, and permitting before lease signing or date commitments.
• Provide technical go/no-go decisions from a deployment perspective and manage landlord/HOA requirements.

3. Electrical & Power Infrastructure

• Build load calculations and specify service sizes, panels, circuits, and conductor runs.
• Determine site power setup (utility vs. generator/temporary) and oversee generator sizing, fuel, and runtime planning.
• Manage utility applications, meter sets, and energization with local DFW providers.
• Pull electrical permits, schedule inspections, and clear city corrections.
• Scope work, bid, and manage licensed electricians through installation, inspection, and energization while managing budgets.
• Verify electrical installations against drawings before energizing hardware.
• Install and commission hubs, chargers, and networking equipment, testing rated power load before handover.
• Deliver standard documentation including as-builts, one-lines, load calculations, and panel schedules.

4. Permits, Municipalities & Regulatory Support

• Secure municipal permits, track approvals against launch timelines, and support local regulatory coordination.

5. Vendors, Contractors & Budget

• Manage contractors, equipment deliveries, and site logistics including truck outfits, fencing, and signage.
• Manage site launch budgets, tracking spend and change orders to identify cost efficiencies.

6. Handoff to Operations

• Confirm operational readiness and hand off fully tested, energized, and documented sites to operations.
• Provide initial operational support for power, charger, and generator troubleshooting until site stability is reached.

Working Conditions:

• Based in DFW; roughly half the week in the field across the metro; extended periods on site during launches, including launches outside DFW.
• Valid Texas driver's license with a clean record; able to drive a box truck; lift 50 lb; work on ladders and outdoors in Texas summer.
• Early mornings and weekends around launches and outages.

Requirements

Required:

• 5+ years in operations, launch, deployment, infrastructure rollout, or logistics, with a track record of owning complex launches that required multi-team alignment and a fixed date.
• 3+ years of hands-on electrical or power infrastructure field experience: commercial or industrial electrical, EV charging installation, solar and storage, telecom or tower power, generator or BESS. You have scoped, wired, energized, or commissioned real installations, or managed licensed electricians who did.
• Working knowledge of the NEC. You can build a load calculation, read a one-line diagram and a panel schedule, size a service and a generator, and know when work requires a licensed electrician.
• Experience working with utilities on new service and with city inspectors on permits, inspections, and corrections.
• Experience writing scopes, getting bids, and managing electricians, contractors, and vendors to drawings, budget, and dates.
• Strong field judgment: you can tell the difference between a plan that looks ready and a site that is ready, and you switch between executive updates and site-level detail without losing either.
• Comfortable with low-voltage and basic networking (cellular, Wi-Fi, Ethernet) and GPS or RTK hardware.
• Clear written communication. You document what you build and what you learned.

Strongly Preferred:

• Texas journeyman electrician license, documented apprentice hours, or EVITP certification.
• Generator experience: sizing, transfer, fuel, and maintenance.
• City permitting and municipal approvals experience in Texas.
• OSHA 10/30 and NFPA 70E.

Nice to Have:

• Aviation, drone or UAS, robotics, or autonomous vehicle operations background; FAA Part 107.
• Experience building launch playbooks, readiness checklists, or dashboards (Monday.com, Smartsheet, Looker).
• Startup or early-scale operations experience.