Head of Drone Safety

Lead Aviation Safety for DoorDash Labs' Drone Delivery Program

About the Team

DoorDash Labs is developing one of the most innovative drone delivery programs in the world, building the systems and infrastructure needed to safely scale autonomous aviation. Safety is not just a priority, it’s a core value. Our Safety Management System (SMS) is the backbone of safe operations, ensuring regulatory compliance, risk management, and operational excellence. The Head of Aviation Safety will lead this effort, working closely with the Accountable Executive, FAA, and internal stakeholders to deliver safe, reliable, and compliant flight operations.

About the Role

DoorDash is seeking a Head of Aviation Safety to serve as the designated safety leader for our drone delivery operations. This position is responsible for the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of DoorDash’s FAA-compliant Safety Management System (SMS) under 14 CFR Part 5. Reporting directly to the Accountable Executive, the Head of Aviation Safety provides independent oversight of all safety-related functions, ensures hazards are identified and mitigated, and drives a proactive safety culture across the organization.

This is a rare opportunity to lead aviation safety for a fast-growing, high-visibility drone delivery program and shape the safety standards that will set the bar for the industry.

You’re Excited About This Opportunity Because You Will…

Own:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a fully compliant Safety Management System (SMS) per 14 CFR Part 5, ICAO Annex 19, and industry best practices.
• Serve as the primary FAA point of contact for safety oversight and SMS performance.
• Establish safety policies, objectives, and performance metrics that align with both regulatory requirements and DoorDash’s operational goals.

Build:

• Design and manage the Safety Risk Management (SRM) process to ensure hazards are systematically identified, analyzed, and mitigated.
• Oversee Safety Assurance (SA) activities, including internal audits, evaluations, safety performance monitoring, and data analysis.
• Implement robust reporting systems that encourage voluntary reporting, protect reporters, and ensure timely resolution of safety concerns.

Lead:

• Chair the Safety Review Board and coordinate safety decisions with senior leadership.
• Lead investigations of incidents, accidents, and close calls, ensuring root cause analysis and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.
• Monitor regulatory changes, industry safety trends, and emerging best practices to keep DoorDash at the forefront of compliance and operational safety.
• Collaborate with operations, engineering, and product teams to embed safety considerations into design, mission planning, and day-to-day decision-making.

We’re Excited About You Because…

• You have 8+ years of aviation safety experience with a focus on flight operations, UAS/drone operations, or flight test environments.
• You have deep knowledge of FAA regulations (14 CFR Part 5, Part 107, and Part 135), ICAO SMS standards, and proven experience implementing and managing SMS programs.
• You have demonstrated success engaging with FAA regulators, presenting safety cases, and leading regulatory audits or assessments.
• You possess strong analytical skills and are adept at turning safety data into actionable insights and risk mitigations.
• You are a respected safety leader who can influence across technical, operational, and executive teams.
• You thrive in dynamic, high-tempo environments and can make critical decisions under pressure to protect personnel and assets.

We expect this position to be filled by 12/14/25.

Compensation

The successful candidate’s starting pay will fall within the pay range listed below and is determined based on job-related factors including, but not limited to, skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. Base salary is localized according to an employee’s work location. Ranges are market-dependent and may be modified in the future.

In addition to base salary, the compensation for this role includes opportunities for equity grants. Talk to your recruiter for more information.

DoorDash cares about you and your overall well-being. That’s why we offer a comprehensive benefits package to all regular employees, which includes a 401(k) plan with employer matching, 16 weeks of paid parental leave, wellness benefits, commuter benefits match, paid time off and paid sick leave in compliance with applicable laws (e.g. Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act). DoorDash also offers medical, dental, and vision benefits, 11 paid holidays, disability and basic life insurance, family-forming assistance, and a mental health program, among others.

See below for paid time off details:

• For salaried roles: flexible paid time off/vacation, plus 80 hours of paid sick time per year.
• For hourly roles: vacation accrued at about 1 hour for every 25.97 hours worked (e.g. about 6.7 hours/month if working 40 hours/week; about 3.4 hours/month if working 20 hours/week), and paid sick time accrued at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked (e.g. about 5.8 hours/month if working 40 hours/week; about 2.9 hours/month if working 20 hours/week).

The national base pay range for this position within the United States, including Illinois and Colorado. $136,000—$200,000 USD

About DoorDash

At DoorDash, our mission to empower local economies shapes how our team members move quickly, learn, and reiterate in order to make impactful decisions that display empathy for our range of users—from Dashers to merchant partners to consumers. We are a technology and logistics company that started with door-to-door delivery, and we are looking for team members who can help us go from a company that is known for delivering food to a company that people turn to for any and all goods.

DoorDash is growing rapidly and changing constantly, which gives our team members the opportunity to share their unique perspectives, solve new challenges, and own their careers. We're committed to supporting employees’ happiness, healthiness, and overall well-being by providing comprehensive benefits and perks including premium healthcare, wellness expense reimbursement, paid parental leave and more.