Head of AI & Drone Systems

About Second Life
Second Life e.V. is a Germany-based environmental organization leveraging
drone technology, geospatial analytics, and AI to address plastic pollution and
broader environmental challenges.
We operate at the intersection of environmental science, applied technology,
and public impact, working across Europe, Africa, and global partnerships.

Role Overview
The Head of AI & Drone Systems will be responsible forbuilding and leading
the organization’s technical capability in drone-based environmental data
collection and AI-driven analysis.
This is a foundational leadership role, focused on:
-Designing the department from first principles
-Establishing technical architecture and workflows
-Ensuring continuity in a low-resource, high-impact environment
I-ntegrating research, field operations, and AI model development
The role requires bothstrategic thinking and hands-on guidance, with the
ability to operate in an early-stage, evolving organizational context.

Key Responsibilities
1. Department Design & Technical Strategy
-Define the AI & Drone Systems department structure, operating
model, and roadmap
-Establish clear workstreams:
-Drone data collection
-Dataset development
-AI model development
-Deployment and reporting systems
-Set technical standards for code, documentation, and workflows
2. AI & Data Systems Development
-Guide development of waste detection and geospatial analysis models
-Oversee model architecture, training pipelines, and evaluation
-Ensure integration between drone data and AI systems
-Balance open research and proprietary model development
3. Drone Operations Integration
-Define drone data capture protocols
-Align AI outputs with field operations
-Ensure data quality and usability for model training●
4. Team & Contributor Management
-Lead a hybrid team structure:
-Core technical team
-Fellows / volunteers
-Academic collaborators
-Provide technical direction and mentorship
-Ensure continuity despite contributor turnover
5. University & Research Collaboration
-Build partnerships with universities and research institutions
-Define applied research problems using Second Life datasets
-Oversee thesis collaborations and academic projects
-Ensure alignment between research outputs and operational needs
6. Documentation & Knowledge Management
-Ensure all technical work is documented and version-controlled
-Establish repository and data management standards
-Prevent knowledge loss during transitions
7. Cross-functional Collaboration
-Work closely with:
- Public Affairs (for storytelling and outputs)
- Operations (for deployment)
- Leadership (for strategy and partnerships)
8. Reporting & Governance
-Provide regular updates to leadership
-Track progress against roadmap
-Support grant proposals with technical inputs

Required Profile
Technical & Functional
-Background in AI, machine learning, robotics, geospatial tech, or
related fields
-Experience with computer vision, data pipelines, or applied AI systems
-Familiarity with drone-based data workflows (preferred but not
mandatory)
-Understanding of real-world deployment challenges
Leadership & Systems Thinking
-Ability to build systems from zero infrastructure
-Experience managing technical teams or projects
-Strong organizational and problem-solving skills
-Comfortable operating in ambiguity and early-stage environments
Collaboration & Communication
-Ability to translate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders
-Experience working in cross-functional or international teams
-Strong written and verbal communication skills