Head of Logistics, Africa

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.

Every site Zipline operates or builds in Africa depends on the right parts, batteries, hardware and materials arriving when they are needed. As the Head of Logistics for Africa, you will own that inbound chain end to end: land everything the network needs on time, in full and at a published price, and make customs clearance routine. You will lead our in-country logistics analysts, act as the single point of contact into Zipline’s global supply chain and production team in South San Francisco, and hold a high bar for integrity and controls. You will report to the Head of Operations, Africa, and work alongside the Heads of Deployments and Service Delivery as one regional leadership team.

• Own the inbound supply chain into our operating sites and onto build sites: freight, ports, customs, a spares warehouse in each country, batteries, prefabricated site hardware, and construction materials.

• Build corridor discipline: a standing customs dossier for each country, a pre-agreed HS classification catalogue, and exemption processes written into contracts and worked through our Country Directors’ government relationships.

• Set two-way service-level agreements with site operations and the Deployments team at published transfer prices, so every miss is priced, visible and credited.

• Drive emergency air freight towards zero, using buffer stock as risk cover.

• Be the single named interface to Zipline’s global supply chain and production team in South San Francisco, with one procurement line into Africa.

• Lead and develop our in-country logistics analysts in Rwanda, Ghana, Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.

• Put integrity and controls first: accurate customs valuation, clean import documentation, and rigorous reconciliation of vendor and forwarder billing.

What Success Looks Like

• Consistently high on-time-in-full delivery to operating sites and build sites.

• Customs clearance that is fast and predictable.

• Landed costs on or under plan.

• Emergency air freight spend falling towards zero.

• SLAs met, with every miss visible and credited.

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