Head of Deployments, Africa

The role

You will own every launch from signed contract to a certified, operating site across Africa. You will lead parallel launch teams and own the deployment playbook to make launches faster and more repeatable.

What you will do

• Lead parallel launch programmes across Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
• Take sites from signed contract through land, permits, construction, power, hiring, training and commissioning to handover.
• Run the first Precision Delivery launch in Kigali as a dedicated workstream.
• Own the deployment playbook and standard bill of materials.
• Plan each country as a single programme with customs, spares, and power strategies.
• Hand over every site through a written acceptance gate.
• Build and lead a flexible team including a permanent core and in-country launch pods.
• Partner with Country Directors, governments, regulators, contractors, Supply Chain, Logistics, and Engineering.

Required qualifications

• 12–15+ years delivering multi-site infrastructure or network build programmes.
• Hands-on build experience in Africa covering land, permits, customs, power, contractors and government interfaces.
• Track record of running parallel builds against a contractual deadline.
• Experience building a repeatable deployment playbook and applying it across many sites.
• Senior enough to set strategy and lead leaders.
• Hands-on enough to walk a site and see what needs fixing.
• Comfort leading an organisation that grows and shrinks with the launch pipeline.
• Strong programme and project management instincts.
• Excellent stakeholder and negotiation skills.

Nice to have

• Experience in West Africa is especially valued.

About the company

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. They operate an autonomous logistics system to deliver food, medicine and essential goods.