UAS Team Lead

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. To learn more, visit Oxy Oxy strives to attract and retain talented employees by investing in their professional development and providing rewarding opportunities for personal growth. Our goal is to meet the highest employer standards by ensuring the health and safety of our employees, protecting the environment and positively impacting our communities where we do business. The UAS Operations Team Leader is responsible for the leadership, daily management, and continuous advancement of the organization's internal unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) program. This role serves 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 Team Leader ensures all UAS operations are executed to the standards and procedure set forth by Oxy and result in safe, efficient, and compliant day to day operations. This individual manages a team of certified pilots and mission specialists, maintains a multi-platform fleet of UAS infrastructure, drives capability development, interfaces with internal stakeholders and is responsible for the end-to-end delivery of actionable inspection data and analytical products to operations, asset integrity, and engineering teams. Core Responsibilities: Safety and Compliance Serve as the primary safety authority for all UAS operations, establishing and enforcing 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 any applicable international aviation authority requirements for cross-border or offshore operations. Develop, maintain , and enforce UAS-specific Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Emergency Response Procedures (ERPs), and Mission Risk Assessments (MRAs) for all operation types. Improve upon and support pre-mission hazard identification and risk mitigation processes, including airspace conflict analysis, weather assessment, electromagnetic interference evaluation, and site-specific hazard reviews. Maintain thorough incident investigation protocols; lead or delegate root cause analysis and corrective action implementation for any UAS-related incident, near-miss, or equipment loss. Enforce strict adherence to Process Safety Management (PSM) and OSHA regulations when operating in and around hazardous energy environments (refineries, compressor stations, tank farms, gas plants). Ensure pilots and crew maintain current certifications, medical fitness (where applicable), and substance abuse compliance per company policy. Fleet and Asset Management Own the full lifecycle management of the UAS fleet, including sensor packages and associated payloads. Establish procurement, maintenance, and end-of-life procedures Work with management to establish routine refreshes of critical equipment to ensure fleet and mission readiness Develop and enforce scheduled preventive maintenance programs, component lifecycle tracking (motor hours, prop cycles, battery charge cycles), and mandatory inspection intervals for each platform class. Oversee firmware and software updates across the fleet, evaluating and validating changes in a controlled test environment prior to operational deployment. Manage payload inventory including RGB cameras, lighting kits, radiometric thermal imagers, LiDAR scanners, methane…

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