Zipline
South San Francisco, California
Job Description Job Description About Zipline Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You & the Role Zipline is looking for Forward Deployed AI Engineers who will be at the forefront of bringing GenAI into one of the most complex real-world logistics systems in the world. We operate across software, hardware, aviation, robotics, healthcare, commerce, and field operations, which means the work is practical, high-stakes, and directly tied to production outcomes. This role is similar to being a hands-on AI startup CTO inside Zipline: you report directly to the Head of Operations, work in a small team, own delivery of important projects, move quickly from problem discovery to shipped product, and partner directly with users. The impact will come less from demos and more from systems that are adopted, trusted, and used in daily operations. What You'll Do Forward Deployed AI Engineers work directly with Zipline teams to own GenAI strategy and implementation for high-impact operational workflows and teams. On a daily basis, you will build end-to-end AI tools, take them to production, and solve real-world problems across aviation, logistics, fulfillment, maintenance, customer operations, and commercial teams. You will work closely with operators, engineers, product teams, and business leaders to understand user needs, define the right technical approach, and implement solutions that improve how Zipline runs. You will also bring learnings from the field back into Zipline's broader AI tooling, platforms, and best practices. What You'll Bring We value past experience building things that work. We do not need specific degrees; we need results. Make sure your resume highlights what you have built, shipped, automated, scaled, or made real. It matters less where, when, or for whom you built it; what matters is that it was useful, ambitious, technically strong, and cool. We value an engineering mindset focused on delivering production AI systems, not academic benchmarks. You should have experience building with LLMs, data processing pipelines, and analytics tools, and you should be comfortable decomposing messy business problems into reliable technical workflows. We require past experience building GenAI solutions, a strong understanding of the AI landscape, and a solid foundation in machine learning basics such as evaluation, training concepts, and problem decomposition. You should be a strong coder, with proficiency in Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, Java, C++, or similar languages. You should be comfortable collaborating with technical and non-technical teammates, working in dynamic environments, and iterating directly with users. Ability and interest in traveling to Zipline sites as needed is helpful up to 50% depending on the organization you'll be deployed into. WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW This will be an in-office role based out of our South San Francisco HQ. Must be able to travel up to 50% of the time either to our HQ or into the Field. The starting cash range for this role is $112,500 - $300,000 ; please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. We are always open to negotiation. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; overtime pay; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply! Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Zipline 's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.
Job Description Job Description About Zipline Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You & the Role Zipline is looking for Forward Deployed AI Engineers who will be at the forefront of bringing GenAI into one of the most complex real-world logistics systems in the world. We operate across software, hardware, aviation, robotics, healthcare, commerce, and field operations, which means the work is practical, high-stakes, and directly tied to production outcomes. This role is similar to being a hands-on AI startup CTO inside Zipline: you report directly to the Head of Operations, work in a small team, own delivery of important projects, move quickly from problem discovery to shipped product, and partner directly with users. The impact will come less from demos and more from systems that are adopted, trusted, and used in daily operations. What You'll Do Forward Deployed AI Engineers work directly with Zipline teams to own GenAI strategy and implementation for high-impact operational workflows and teams. On a daily basis, you will build end-to-end AI tools, take them to production, and solve real-world problems across aviation, logistics, fulfillment, maintenance, customer operations, and commercial teams. You will work closely with operators, engineers, product teams, and business leaders to understand user needs, define the right technical approach, and implement solutions that improve how Zipline runs. You will also bring learnings from the field back into Zipline's broader AI tooling, platforms, and best practices. What You'll Bring We value past experience building things that work. We do not need specific degrees; we need results. Make sure your resume highlights what you have built, shipped, automated, scaled, or made real. It matters less where, when, or for whom you built it; what matters is that it was useful, ambitious, technically strong, and cool. We value an engineering mindset focused on delivering production AI systems, not academic benchmarks. You should have experience building with LLMs, data processing pipelines, and analytics tools, and you should be comfortable decomposing messy business problems into reliable technical workflows. We require past experience building GenAI solutions, a strong understanding of the AI landscape, and a solid foundation in machine learning basics such as evaluation, training concepts, and problem decomposition. You should be a strong coder, with proficiency in Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, Java, C++, or similar languages. You should be comfortable collaborating with technical and non-technical teammates, working in dynamic environments, and iterating directly with users. Ability and interest in traveling to Zipline sites as needed is helpful up to 50% depending on the organization you'll be deployed into. WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW This will be an in-office role based out of our South San Francisco HQ. Must be able to travel up to 50% of the time either to our HQ or into the Field. The starting cash range for this role is $112,500 - $300,000 ; please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. We are always open to negotiation. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; overtime pay; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply! Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Zipline 's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.
Zipline
San Francisco, California
Job Description Job Description About Zipline Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You and The Role Are you passionate about pioneering the deployment of real-world robotics? Ensuring that Zipline continues to push the envelope of innovation by rapidly deploying, learning, and iterating on autonomous aircraft? Do you have a supreme attention to detail, with a penchant for efficient process design and management? The Fleet Configuration & Change Manager sits at the intersection of hardware and business operations: ensuring Zipline's operational fleet remains process-capable that engineering innovations get deployed to the field in a manner that optimizes the impact to the business. This is a cross-functional role that interfaces with hardware engineering, reliability, maintenance operations, and business strategy. You will be responsible for strategically planning the makeup of the autonomous aircraft fleet, and evaluating tradeoffs for the business with respect to hardware releases, retrofit campaigns, and fleet allocation. You will manage the variations across the fleet and ensure that new hardware configurations are deployed in a controlled and organized manner. What You'll Do The Fleet Configuration & Change manager determines which existing assets in the P2 Fleet (ziplines, pods, docks, and dropboxes) should receive hardware upgrades, which should not, the appropriate timescales for each. and how these configurations should be allocated across sites, partners, and business needs. Hardware change evaluation: Review proposed hardware changes to Zipline's fleet prior to manufacturing cut-in for feasibility and operational process readiness Evaluate the costs & benefits of deploying proposed hardware changes to the operating fleet; define fleet allocation plans and retrofit campaigns with these insights Operational readiness management: Project-manage the operations team's review of new hardware adjustments - the Commercial Operations Readiness Review - to confirm field-readiness; channel negative feedback to the responsible engineers. Build the system to manage Operations' review of all incoming tickets / concepts from Engineering; program manage the timely feedback and decision on proposals. Program-manage the fixtures and tools and testers required to execute and support a hardware change and ensure clear ownership of any changes required to the tooling, parts, and workflows of operations. Retrofit execution: Plan and sequence retrofits as necessary; ensure readiness for parts supply, labor resourcing and training, and progress tracking. Fleet configuration management: Track and manage asset configuration allocations across commercial and partner locations. What You'll Bring Necessary qualifications Several years leading complex hardware change deployment, fleet configuration, maintenance planning, NPI, sustaining engineering, or technical operations programs. Working knowledge of engineering change control: BOMs, part and revision control, effectivity, ECOs, compatibility, production cut-ins, and retrofit embodiment. Strong quantitative judgment: lifecycle cost, capacity impact, reliability benefit, maintenance burden, inventory exposure, and scenario analysis. Track record of success building and implementing new operating processes: intake, prioritization, decision gates, reviews, communications, and escalation paths. Exceptional data and record discipline. In this role, configuration accuracy is operationally and potentially regulatorily consequential. Clear written and verbal communication with both engineers and business leaders. Willingness and ability to spend time with field technicians, operators, production teams, and deployed sites to deeply understand fleet allocation impacts. Desired qualifications Familiarity with reliability engineering, maintainability, spares planning, technical publications, training readiness, and regulatory change incorporation. SQL, spreadsheet modeling, BI, or other analytical skills sufficient to independently evaluate fleet scenarios. What Else You Need To Know The starting salary for this role is $130,000 - $160,000. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply! Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Zipline 's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.
Job Description Job Description About Zipline Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You and The Role Are you passionate about pioneering the deployment of real-world robotics? Ensuring that Zipline continues to push the envelope of innovation by rapidly deploying, learning, and iterating on autonomous aircraft? Do you have a supreme attention to detail, with a penchant for efficient process design and management? The Fleet Configuration & Change Manager sits at the intersection of hardware and business operations: ensuring Zipline's operational fleet remains process-capable that engineering innovations get deployed to the field in a manner that optimizes the impact to the business. This is a cross-functional role that interfaces with hardware engineering, reliability, maintenance operations, and business strategy. You will be responsible for strategically planning the makeup of the autonomous aircraft fleet, and evaluating tradeoffs for the business with respect to hardware releases, retrofit campaigns, and fleet allocation. You will manage the variations across the fleet and ensure that new hardware configurations are deployed in a controlled and organized manner. What You'll Do The Fleet Configuration & Change manager determines which existing assets in the P2 Fleet (ziplines, pods, docks, and dropboxes) should receive hardware upgrades, which should not, the appropriate timescales for each. and how these configurations should be allocated across sites, partners, and business needs. Hardware change evaluation: Review proposed hardware changes to Zipline's fleet prior to manufacturing cut-in for feasibility and operational process readiness Evaluate the costs & benefits of deploying proposed hardware changes to the operating fleet; define fleet allocation plans and retrofit campaigns with these insights Operational readiness management: Project-manage the operations team's review of new hardware adjustments - the Commercial Operations Readiness Review - to confirm field-readiness; channel negative feedback to the responsible engineers. Build the system to manage Operations' review of all incoming tickets / concepts from Engineering; program manage the timely feedback and decision on proposals. Program-manage the fixtures and tools and testers required to execute and support a hardware change and ensure clear ownership of any changes required to the tooling, parts, and workflows of operations. Retrofit execution: Plan and sequence retrofits as necessary; ensure readiness for parts supply, labor resourcing and training, and progress tracking. Fleet configuration management: Track and manage asset configuration allocations across commercial and partner locations. What You'll Bring Necessary qualifications Several years leading complex hardware change deployment, fleet configuration, maintenance planning, NPI, sustaining engineering, or technical operations programs. Working knowledge of engineering change control: BOMs, part and revision control, effectivity, ECOs, compatibility, production cut-ins, and retrofit embodiment. Strong quantitative judgment: lifecycle cost, capacity impact, reliability benefit, maintenance burden, inventory exposure, and scenario analysis. Track record of success building and implementing new operating processes: intake, prioritization, decision gates, reviews, communications, and escalation paths. Exceptional data and record discipline. In this role, configuration accuracy is operationally and potentially regulatorily consequential. Clear written and verbal communication with both engineers and business leaders. Willingness and ability to spend time with field technicians, operators, production teams, and deployed sites to deeply understand fleet allocation impacts. Desired qualifications Familiarity with reliability engineering, maintainability, spares planning, technical publications, training readiness, and regulatory change incorporation. SQL, spreadsheet modeling, BI, or other analytical skills sufficient to independently evaluate fleet scenarios. What Else You Need To Know The starting salary for this role is $130,000 - $160,000. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply! Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Zipline 's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.
Zipline
San Francisco, California
Job Description Job Description About Zipline Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You and The Role Zipline's autonomous delivery systems depend on reliable avionics electronics, flex circuits, harnesses, and connectors operating through vibration, repeated motion, temperature cycling, moisture, and manufacturing variation. As a Failure Analysis Engineer, you will investigate failures from fielded systems, development testing, life testing, and manufacturing. You will help reproduce failures, isolate electrical faults, inspect hardware, analyze data, and develop evidence-supported conclusions. This is a hands-on role suited to an early-career engineer or highly technical hardware professional who enjoys working in the lab and wants to develop deeper expertise in electronics, materials, reliability, and physical failure analysis. What You'll Do Investigate failures involving flex circuits, rigid-flex assemblies, PCBAs, connectors, harnesses, solder joints, vias, and electronic components. Preserve failed hardware and collect relevant configuration, test, manufacturing, service, and field data. Reproduce intermittent failures under representative electrical, mechanical, thermal, and environmental conditions. Troubleshoot hardware using schematics, wiring diagrams, multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, logic analyzers, thermal imaging, and protocol tools. Analyze telemetry, test logs, measurements, and inspection results to identify patterns and narrow possible causes. Perform hands-on inspection and support physical analysis using microscopy, X-ray, cross-sectioning, and other appropriate techniques. Develop and execute experiments that prove or disprove suspected failure mechanisms. Use structured methods such as fault trees, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, and 8D to separate symptoms from root cause. Work with Electrical, Mechanical, Test, Reliability, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supplier Engineering to review evidence and determine next steps. Support corrective actions involving product design, manufacturing processes, suppliers, inspection, diagnostics, and end-of-line testing. Verify that corrective actions address the original failure and do not introduce new risks. Write clear failure-analysis reports documenting the hardware configuration, evidence, methods, results, conclusions, and recommended next steps. Maintain a searchable record of failure symptoms, mechanisms, root causes, and validated fixes. Track investigation turnaround time, no-trouble-found rate, corrective-action status, recurrence, and field-failure reduction. What You'll Bring Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on technical experience. Hands-on comfort working with electronics, hardware assemblies, and laboratory equipment. Ability to read electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, PCB layouts, engineering drawings, and component datasheets. Strong troubleshooting fundamentals and a methodical approach to isolating ambiguous or intermittent failures. Experience using standard electrical test equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and logic analyzers. Practical data-analysis skills using Python, MATLAB, JMP, SQL, or equivalent tools. Ability to organize data, identify trends, compare test populations, and communicate what the evidence does and does not support. Curiosity about how electronic, mechanical, material, manufacturing, and environmental factors interact. Clear technical writing and the ability to document assumptions, results, uncertainty, and next steps. Willingness to learn new laboratory, sample-preparation, inspection, and analysis methods. This role is based in South San Francisco and requires regular hands-on work in the laboratory. Occasional travel to suppliers, manufacturers, test facilities, and external analysis laboratories may be required. Nice to Have Demonstrated experience in electronics failure analysis, hardware reliability, product engineering, hardware test, or high-reliability hardware debugging. Knowledge of flex and rigid-flex construction, PCB fabrication, SMT assembly, soldering, crimping, connectors, or electronics manufacturing. Experience with microscopy, X-ray, CT, cross-sectioning, SEM/EDS, dye-and-pry, or other physical FA techniques. Experience with vibration, shock, temperature cycling, humidity, bend cycling, or accelerated-life testing. Experience supporting corrective actions across design, manufacturing, quality, or supplier teams. Familiarity with high-speed interfaces, CAN, Ethernet, SerDes, cameras, RF, motor controls, or power electronics. Familiarity with IPC standards or structured processes such as FRACAS, CAPA, or 8D. Experience in aerospace, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or high-volume electronics. What Success Looks Like Failures are reproduced and narrowed to an evidence-supported cause within an agreed turnaround time. Investigation reports are clear enough for another engineer or technician to understand and continue the work. Intermittent and no-trouble-found returns decrease as diagnostic methods improve. Findings result in better designs, manufacturing controls, inspections, and validation tests. The engineer steadily develops deeper ownership of increasingly complex failure investigations. What Else You Need To Know The starting salary range for this role is $120,000 - $155,000. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply! Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Zipline 's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.
Job Description Job Description About Zipline Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world's largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You and The Role Zipline's autonomous delivery systems depend on reliable avionics electronics, flex circuits, harnesses, and connectors operating through vibration, repeated motion, temperature cycling, moisture, and manufacturing variation. As a Failure Analysis Engineer, you will investigate failures from fielded systems, development testing, life testing, and manufacturing. You will help reproduce failures, isolate electrical faults, inspect hardware, analyze data, and develop evidence-supported conclusions. This is a hands-on role suited to an early-career engineer or highly technical hardware professional who enjoys working in the lab and wants to develop deeper expertise in electronics, materials, reliability, and physical failure analysis. What You'll Do Investigate failures involving flex circuits, rigid-flex assemblies, PCBAs, connectors, harnesses, solder joints, vias, and electronic components. Preserve failed hardware and collect relevant configuration, test, manufacturing, service, and field data. Reproduce intermittent failures under representative electrical, mechanical, thermal, and environmental conditions. Troubleshoot hardware using schematics, wiring diagrams, multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, logic analyzers, thermal imaging, and protocol tools. Analyze telemetry, test logs, measurements, and inspection results to identify patterns and narrow possible causes. Perform hands-on inspection and support physical analysis using microscopy, X-ray, cross-sectioning, and other appropriate techniques. Develop and execute experiments that prove or disprove suspected failure mechanisms. Use structured methods such as fault trees, 5-Why, fishbone analysis, and 8D to separate symptoms from root cause. Work with Electrical, Mechanical, Test, Reliability, Manufacturing, Quality, and Supplier Engineering to review evidence and determine next steps. Support corrective actions involving product design, manufacturing processes, suppliers, inspection, diagnostics, and end-of-line testing. Verify that corrective actions address the original failure and do not introduce new risks. Write clear failure-analysis reports documenting the hardware configuration, evidence, methods, results, conclusions, and recommended next steps. Maintain a searchable record of failure symptoms, mechanisms, root causes, and validated fixes. Track investigation turnaround time, no-trouble-found rate, corrective-action status, recurrence, and field-failure reduction. What You'll Bring Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Physics, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on technical experience. Hands-on comfort working with electronics, hardware assemblies, and laboratory equipment. Ability to read electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, PCB layouts, engineering drawings, and component datasheets. Strong troubleshooting fundamentals and a methodical approach to isolating ambiguous or intermittent failures. Experience using standard electrical test equipment such as multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, and logic analyzers. Practical data-analysis skills using Python, MATLAB, JMP, SQL, or equivalent tools. Ability to organize data, identify trends, compare test populations, and communicate what the evidence does and does not support. Curiosity about how electronic, mechanical, material, manufacturing, and environmental factors interact. Clear technical writing and the ability to document assumptions, results, uncertainty, and next steps. Willingness to learn new laboratory, sample-preparation, inspection, and analysis methods. This role is based in South San Francisco and requires regular hands-on work in the laboratory. Occasional travel to suppliers, manufacturers, test facilities, and external analysis laboratories may be required. Nice to Have Demonstrated experience in electronics failure analysis, hardware reliability, product engineering, hardware test, or high-reliability hardware debugging. Knowledge of flex and rigid-flex construction, PCB fabrication, SMT assembly, soldering, crimping, connectors, or electronics manufacturing. Experience with microscopy, X-ray, CT, cross-sectioning, SEM/EDS, dye-and-pry, or other physical FA techniques. Experience with vibration, shock, temperature cycling, humidity, bend cycling, or accelerated-life testing. Experience supporting corrective actions across design, manufacturing, quality, or supplier teams. Familiarity with high-speed interfaces, CAN, Ethernet, SerDes, cameras, RF, motor controls, or power electronics. Familiarity with IPC standards or structured processes such as FRACAS, CAPA, or 8D. Experience in aerospace, robotics, automotive, medical devices, or high-volume electronics. What Success Looks Like Failures are reproduced and narrowed to an evidence-supported cause within an agreed turnaround time. Investigation reports are clear enough for another engineer or technician to understand and continue the work. Intermittent and no-trouble-found returns decrease as diagnostic methods improve. Findings result in better designs, manufacturing controls, inspections, and validation tests. The engineer steadily develops deeper ownership of increasingly complex failure investigations. What Else You Need To Know The starting salary range for this role is $120,000 - $155,000. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply! Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Zipline 's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.