Skyports – Chief Technology Officer (UK)

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Skyports, established in 2017, is the leading owner and operator of vertiports to enable electric air taxi operations in a number of cities around the world, with the first commercial flights planned for 2023. We also operate a logistics service, Delivery by Skyports, which provides cargo drone delivery solutions for the medial, logistics and e-commerce sectors and is operating for the likes of the NHS and Royal Mail in the UK.

With offices in London, Singapore and San Francisco, Skyports is well-funded, having secured our Series A financing in early 2020 from Deutsche Bahn, Groupe ADP, Irelandia Aviation and Levitate Capital.

Role Description:

Skyports is looking for a CTO to define, design and build the IT systems blueprint for our vertiports. The candidate will define the strategic direction for our systems development, assemble and lead a team to build the systems, identify elements to be outsourced and elements to be built in house and identify areas where the company can capture value through its IT and data management systems.

You will:

Define the technology blueprint aligned with corporate objectives.
Own the technology procurement strategy by identifying the elements of the system that we need to develop in house, outsource or acquire off the shelf.
Design and develop the end-to-end software systems and the IT Infrastructure required to run a vertiport, including:
- Define the hardware requirements such as sensors, comms and radar architecture required to enable eVTOLs to operate from the vertiport.
- Develop and maintain relationships with air vehicle OEM technical teams to understand their performance and technical requirements to ensure technology infrastructure can accommodate eVTOL operations.
- Ensure that our technology meets the requirements of civil aviation and standards’ bodies.
- Ensure that our technology meets the highest grades of airside operational safety.
- Define the telemetry capture and data analytics capabilities required to drive continuous improvement of customer journey, resource management and operations.
Be required to travel around the world.
Be an all-round team contributor. We are a small team, and everyone contributes to everything at some point.

You will bring many of the following skills:

10+ years’ experience leading technology teams, preferably in airline / airport environments as well as high growth companies / start-ups.
Substantial experience of leading the design (architectural, functional, etc.), development, implementation, and operations of a greenfield system to be hosted in a public cloud. (Experience of API development and interfacing with non-trivial hardware components would be an advantage).
Awareness of the general principles of secure software design. (Experience with the specific requirements for aviation software would be an advantage).
Experience with hardware systems, such as CNS technology, to enable aircraft and vertiport data transfer and comms.
Knowledge of airport systems (structure and flow of information around airport operations) such as AODB, SCMC, A-CDM, FIDS, COMs and such, would be an advantage.
Excellent inter-personal and communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with internal and external stakeholders.
Ability to grow and manage a high-performing team.

Your working style:

Comfort navigating through ambiguity. This is a new industry, and no one has all the answers.
Self-starter who is comfortable proposing your own solutions/answers to big challenges and making decisions.
Energy and curiosity to make things happen, seek out solutions and learn new skills.

What we offer:

A competitive salary.
Flexible, friendly, and engaging working environment.
Fantastic learning environment.
An exciting, fast-paced culture where we can truly make a large positive impact on the world of transportation.

If this role sounds like a role for you, then we want to speak with you. Please apply here and we will promptly get back to you with next steps.