Public Safety Strategist - Southeast LEA SME
San Mateo, California, United States - Full-time
Skydio is the leading US drone company and the world leader in autonomous flight, the key technology for the future of drones and aerial mobility. The Skydio team combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence, best-in-class hardware and software product development, operational excellence, and customer obsession to empower a broader, more diverse audience of drone users, from utility inspectors to first responders, soldiers in battlefield scenarios and beyond.
About the Role:
Skydio seeks experienced public safety leaders for the Public Safety Strategist position. Reporting to the Senior Director of Strategic Relationships, these roles drive market expansion by leveraging deep expertise in public safety leadership to advocate for DFR solutions and support our mission with state, local, and educational agencies. This team will be instrumental for solution adoption with agencies in their designated territories.
How You’ll Make an Impact:
Champion Skydio’s innovative drone and DFR technology, demonstrating public safety value to key decision-makers at the city, county, and state levels.
Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, and Policy for territory strategy, customer identification, and revenue growth within assigned markets.
Develop and present business cases to executive stakeholders, advocating for Skydio’s adoption in public safety.
Act as a public safety subject matter expert, guiding the Skydio GTM and Engineering teams on operational realities.
Lead or advise on public sector procurement, including navigating RFPs, RFQs, and state/local contracting processes.
Stay abreast of evolving regulatory environments and industry best practices, providing proactive recommendations to SLED leadership.
Build and sustain trusted relationships with agency leadership, cross-functional Skydio teams, and key technology partners.
Organize and participate in webinars, public presentations, and professional development for law enforcement partners, speaking as a practitioner-expert.
Support post-sale agency success by translating field experience into measurable program outcomes
Additional Responsibilities:
Serve as the Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for several working groups, providing strategic leadership to drive customer engagement, enablement, and adoption. Focus on unlocking new customer logos, expanding pipeline opportunities, and growing existing accounts.
Lead structured feedback loops with customers to capture operational insights and translate them into product requirements, feature enhancements, and roadmap priorities.
Partner with Product and Engineering to validate new capabilities against real-world scenarios, including night operations, obscure environments, search and rescue, and dynamic incident scenes.
Champion use cases internally, ensuring parity of innovation focus alongside DFR solutions.
Serve as Skydio’s national public safety subject-matter authority, shaping strategy for markets across major and mid-sized agencies.
Assist accounts pods with customers by designing, launching, and expanding DFR programs, ensuring alignment with operational realities, staffing models, and incident command structures.
Establish best practices for DFR CONOPS, including integration with dispatch, CAD, ICS/NIMS, and multi-agency response environments.
Support agencies in defining success metrics for DFR programs, including reductions in response time, improvements in safety, and improvements in situational awareness.
Build and maintain relationships with national and regional service organizations (e.g., IACP, MCCA, MCSA, FBINA, Harvard Senior Executives in State and Local Governments, and other Public Safety Chiefs & Sheriffs Associations).
Support regional and statewide initiatives where agencies collaborate with fire departments, emergency management, and corrections.
What Makes You a Good Fit:
Minimum 20+ years of law enforcement experience, with substantial command-level responsibility (e.g., Lieutenant, Commander, Captain, Chief, or equivalent).
A graduate of the FBI National Academy (FBINA).
Deep understanding of state/local/education government operations, budgeting, and technology procurement.
Demonstrated success in building and executing large-scale public safety technology-focused programs.
Highly effective communicator and relationship builder, with a record of presenting to command staff, elected officials, and operational personnel.
Self-driven, with the ability to independently navigate complex environments and deliver results.
Willingness to travel regionally and nationally as required by assigned territory, ~50% travel
Compensation:
At Skydio, our compensation packages for regular, full-time employees include competitive base salaries, equity in the form of stock options, and comprehensive benefits packages. Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience. Relocation assistance may also be provided for eligible roles. The annual base salary range for this position is $200,000 - $260,000*. Fundamentally, we believe that equity is the key to long-term financial growth, and we ensure all regular, full-time employees have the opportunity to significantly benefit from the company's success. Regular, full-time employees are eligible to enroll in the Company’s group health insurance plans. Regular, full-time employees are eligible to receive the following benefits: Paid vacation time, sick leave, holiday pay and 401K savings plan. This position and all associated benefits are subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as the Company’s policies and eligibility criteria.
*Compensation for certain positions may vary based on the position’s location.
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At Skydio we believe that diversity drives innovation. We have created a multidisciplinary environment that embraces the power of diverse perspectives to create elegant solutions for complex problems. We are committed to growing our network of people, programs, and resources to nurture an inclusive culture.
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local anti-discrimination laws.
For positions located in the United States of America, Skydio, Inc. uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/