Airspace Manager

At Manna, we’re changing how the world receives things — by taking delivery to the skies.

Our mission is simple but ambitious: to make high-speed suburban delivery affordable, green, and safe. We design and build our own aviation-grade drones that deliver food, coffee, groceries, and more directly from local stores and vendors to people’s doors in just a few minutes.

We’re a team that Drive with Impact, are Safety Focused, and knows that the best ideas come from Team Players who show up as their Authentic Selves. We move fast, we are passionate about what we do, and we’re always pushing a growth mindset to be better in everything we do.

If you want to build world-changing technology with real-world impact (and have a bit of fun while doing it), you’ll love it here.

Welcome to Manna — where we deliver the future.

Role Purpose

We are hiring a Airspace Manager. In this role you will be responsible for for identifying, assessing and securing suitable airspace solutions to support Manna operations across EASA States, the United States and the United Arab Emirates. The role ensures that all applicable airspace requirements are fully understood, assessed and complied with in each jurisdiction, and that these requirements are translated into clear technical and operational inputs for the unmanned aircraft system. The Airspace Manager acts as the primary interface with aviation authorities and air navigation service providers on airspace related matters.

Key Responsibilities 

Airspace assessment and planning

• Identify and assess airspace constraints and opportunities for existing and proposed operations under EASA, FAA and UAE GCAA regulatory frameworks.
• Analyse controlled, uncontrolled, restricted, prohibited and special use airspace, including low altitude and urban operating environments.
• Support risk assessments by providing airspace and adjacent airspace analysis consistent with the applicable framework, including EASA SORA, FAA airspace authorisations and UAE operational approval processes.
• Ensure local airspace conditions, procedures and limitations are fully reflected in SORAs, CONOPS and jurisdiction specific approval documentation.

Authority and stakeholder engagement

• Act as the primary point of contact with EASA competent authorities, the FAA and the UAE GCAA on airspace matters.
• Engage with air navigation service providers and ATC units to agree operating concepts, coordination procedures and airspace mitigations.
• Support the development and maintenance of airspace agreements, letters of agreement, waivers or authorisations as required in each jurisdiction.
• Represent Manna in technical discussions related to BVLOS access, low altitude integration, U-space, UTM, LAANC and equivalent systems in the UAE.

Design and technical integration

• Translate airspace requirements from EASA, US and UAE authorities into clear system, performance and equipage requirements for the design and engineering teams.
• Ensure the unmanned aircraft and supporting systems are capable of complying with jurisdiction specific airspace requirements, including containment, altitude management, navigation performance, remote identification, surveillance and coordination provisions.
• Review proposed design and configuration changes to confirm continued compliance with agreed airspace conditions across all operating regions.

Operational support

• Support the development of operational procedures related to airspace coordination, ATC interaction and contingency handling in EASA States, the US and the UAE.
• Ensure airspace assumptions and limitations are consistently reflected across the LUC Manual, Operations Manual and jurisdiction specific documentation.
• Support management of change activities where airspace or regulatory impacts are identified.

Regulatory compliance and assurance

• Ensure compliance with applicable EASA, FAA and UAE GCAA airspace related requirements.
• Apply relevant AMC, GM, advisory circulars and published guidance material issued by EASA, the FAA and the GCAA.
• Support authority audits, reviews and ongoing oversight activities related to airspace access and integration.

Requirements

The Airspace Manager is authorised to liaise directly with EASA competent authorities, the FAA, the UAE GCAA, ANSPs and associated stakeholders on airspace matters, within the scope agreed by the Head of Regulation.

• Demonstrated experience in airspace management, ATM, UTM or aviation regulatory roles.
• Strong working knowledge of EASA UAS regulations and the SORA methodology.
• Practical knowledge of FAA UAS airspace processes, including airspace authorisations and waivers.
• Practical knowledge of UAE GCAA UAS airspace and approval processes.
• Experience engaging directly with aviation authorities and air navigation service providers.