UAS Team Lead

About the role

Oxy produces, markets and transports oil and natural gas to maximize value and provide resources fundamental to life. The company leverages its global leadership in carbon management to advance lower‑carbon technologies and products. Headquartered in Houston, Oxy primarily operates in the United States, Middle East and North Africa. The UAS Operations Team Leader leads the internal unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) program, serving as the primary technical authority and operational leader for all drone‑based activities supporting Oxy’s oil and gas operations, including facility and well‑pad imaging, pipeline and midstream infrastructure inspections, drone‑based compliance inspections, electrical transmission and distribution asset imaging and inspections, offshore inspections, and related industrial inspection programs. The role manages a team of certified pilots and mission specialists, maintains a multi‑platform UAS fleet, drives capability development, interfaces with internal stakeholders, and ensures end‑to‑end delivery of actionable inspection data and analytical products to operations, asset integrity, and engineering teams.

Responsibilities

• Safety and Compliance: Serve as primary safety authority for all UAS operations; establish and enforce a comprehensive Safety Management System (SMS) aligned with company HSE and Aviation policies and industry best practices; ensure full compliance with FAA Part 107 regulations, BVLOS waivers, COAs, and applicable international aviation authority requirements; develop, maintain, and enforce UAS‑specific SOPs, ERPs, and Mission Risk Assessments (MRAs); improve pre‑mission hazard identification and risk mitigation processes (airspace conflict analysis, weather assessment, electromagnetic interference evaluation, site‑specific hazard reviews); maintain incident investigation protocols; lead or delegate root cause analysis and corrective action for UAS‑related incidents, near‑misses, or equipment loss; enforce adherence to Process Safety Management (PSM) and OSHA regulations when operating in hazardous energy environments; ensure pilots and crew maintain current certifications, medical fitness, and substance‑abuse compliance.
• Fleet and Asset Management: Own full lifecycle management of the UAS fleet, sensor packages, and payloads; establish procurement, maintenance, and end‑of‑life procedures; work with management to establish routine equipment refreshes; develop and enforce scheduled preventive maintenance programs, component lifecycle tracking (motor hours, prop cycles, battery charge cycles), and mandatory inspection intervals; oversee firmware and software updates across the fleet, evaluating and validating changes in a controlled test environment prior to deployment; manage payload inventory (RGB cameras, lighting kits, radiometric thermal imagers, LiDAR scanners, methane/gas detection sensors); manage secure transport, storage, and readiness of equipment for rapid field deployment; maintain insurance documentation and records for all airframes; interface with risk management and aviation as needed.
• Pilot Management and Training: Recruit, hire, onboard, and