Senior Manager, Automation Engineering - Site Launch Coordination, Drone Delivery
Wal-Mart - Bentonville, AR
posted 4 days ago
About the position
The Drone Delivery team is seeking a seasoned senior leader to spearhead the launch and integration of new drone delivery sites across Walmart's real estate portfolio. This role requires a strategic and dynamic leader with a strong track record of driving cross-functional collaboration and managing complex, large-scale projects. You will be responsible for ensuring seamless site launches, from planning through execution, by working with internal teams and external partners across construction, operations, marketing, product integration, and more. Your leadership will be critical to expanding our drone delivery footprint and achieving key business objectives. The ideal candidate is an exceptional communicator and project manager, adept at navigating ambiguity and motivating teams to deliver results in a fast-paced, evolving environment. You will bring expertise in construction, operational integration, and cross-team collaboration to ensure the success of each new site launch.
Responsibilities
- Lead market awareness and education efforts with internal and external partners
- Lead the end-to-end launch of new drone sites, coordinating with teams across product, store operations, marketing, PR, customer care, and more to ensure timely, successful site rollouts
- Own the coordination with vendors, Community Affairs, and Real Estate teams to establish site launch timelines and ensure alignment across all stakeholders
- Manage tech updates and re-permitting for previously launched sites, ensuring ongoing compatibility and compliance
- Oversee the discovery and pilot phases for innovative infrastructure features (e.g., rooftop nests, integrated Rx loading)
- Ensure that site launches are aligned with strategic goals and business objectives by collaborating with internal teams and external partners
- Establish and enforce project management standards, ensuring best practices for site launches and regular progress tracking across teams
- Support the development and execution of team OKRs, tracking key results and providing insights for continuous improvement
- Proactively identify, assess, and mitigate risks, providing regular status updates to leadership and stakeholders
- Lead and develop a team of site launch coordinators, setting clear expectations, providing mentorship, and managing performance
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Construction Management, Real Estate, Operations, Supply Chain, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience
- 10+ years of experience in a combination of project management, construction, and operations roles, ideally within development, real estate, or infrastructure sectors
- 5+ years in leadership roles, managing diverse, multi-disciplinary teams across multiple functions (e.g., construction, operations, marketing, product integration)
- Strong understanding of construction and real estate processes, including permitting, zoning, and vendor management
- Experience in operationalizing new sites beyond the physical build, including coordinating cross-functional work with teams in store operations, marketing, product, and customer care
- Strategic planning experience-ability to think beyond the immediate project launch and drive long-term operational success
- Proven ability to manage complex, multi-phase projects that span construction, infrastructure, tech integration, and operational readiness
Nice-to-haves
- Certifications: PMP, Agile, Lean Six Sigma, or related certifications in project management
- Experience with drone or autonomous vehicle operations or similar high-tech infrastructure projects
- Advanced experience in strategic marketing operations as related to site launches or new business initiatives
Benefits
- Competitive pay
- Performance-based bonus awards
- Medical, vision and dental coverage
- 401(k) plan
- Stock purchase plan
- Company-paid life insurance
- Paid time off (PTO) including sick leave, parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting
- Short-term and long-term disability
- Company discounts
- Military Leave Pay
- Adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement
- Live Better U education benefit program
