Autonomy Flight Test Engineer Intern

Vertical Aviation International; South San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 107,453,000 - 121,229,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation support

Housing stipend

Overtime pay

Paid sick time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking a Flight Test Engineering Intern for a Fall 2026 program in South San Francisco. You will analyze flight test data logs with Python, DataBricks, and SQL to identify anomalies and track trends, while contributing to the design of new flight test campaigns and data post-processing.

You will work with GNC, Aerodynamics, Structures, Systems Engineering, and other teams, gaining hands-on experience in autonomy software, data analysis, and systems engineering in a real-world setting.

Qualifications

• Must have completed the second year of undergraduate studies in relevant fields (Masters/PhD eligible).
• Strong mathematical and physics background required.
• Experience in autonomous vehicle/robotic system integration and testing.
• Experience in data processing and visualization.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Analyze flight test data logs to identify anomalies, assess reliability, and track performance trends.
• Design, oversee, and review software validation and flight test campaigns.
• Monitor the develop branch daily to surface instability and issues.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure measurable system-level requirements.
• Develop novel test infrastructure and instrumentation for data collection in flight.
• Maintain documentation, dashboards, and SQL queries to track progress.

Skills

Mathematics background

Physics background

Autonomous systems testing

Data processing

Communication skills

Education

Second year undergraduate in physics, mathematics, mechanical, aerospace, systems engineering, computer science, electrical engineering or related fields

Tools

Python

DataBricks

SQL

Job description

Zipline is seeking a Flight Test Engineering Intern for a Fall 2026 program in South San Francisco. You will analyze flight test data logs with Python, DataBricks, and SQL to identify anomalies and track trends, while contributing to the design of new flight test campaigns and data post-processing.

You will work with GNC, Aerodynamics, Structures, Systems Engineering, and other teams, gaining hands-on experience in autonomy software, data analysis, and systems engineering in a real-world setting.