Build Development Technician (Engineering Test Technician)

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline in California is seeking a Build Development Technician to support advanced hardware builds across development, validation, production, and remanufacturing.

You will perform wiring, assembly, troubleshooting, and documentation, with a focus on build readiness and adherence to procedures. The role requires strong craftsmanship and the ability to adapt to evolving hardware and build requirements.

Qualifications

• Over 4 years hands-on experience in UAV/drone, aerospace, robotics, automotive, manufacturing, or other complex hardware environments.
• Experience supporting hardware builds across prototype, development, validation, production, or remanufacturing environments.
• Strong hands-on electromechanical aptitude and troubleshooting capability.
• Experience working with complex mechanical and electrical assemblies, test equipment, fixtures, composites, machining, or integrated hardware systems.
• Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, schematics, BOMs, and technical documentation.
• High level of craftsmanship, attention to detail, and ability to deliver under schedule pressure.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate technical issues and tradeoffs.
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced hardware environments where systems, processes, and priorities may evolve rapidly.
• Strong ownership mindset, process discipline, and ability to adapt to changing hardware and build requirements.

Responsibilities

• Build, integrate, rework, and support complex electromechanical hardware across development, validation, production, and remanufacturing environments.
• Perform hands-on electrical and mechanical work including wiring, soldering, system integration, composite work, machining, tester/fixture setup, and hardware rework activities.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, test, and system-level issues during hardware build and validation activities.
• Support hardware validation, functional testing, system checks, and hardware readiness activities across evolving hardware and production environments.
• Rework non-conforming or damaged hardware into build-ready, test-ready, or flight-ready condition when appropriate.
• Contribute to high-priority hardware builds, investigations, and non-standard execution efforts across Engineering, Manufacturing, Validation, Production, and Field Operations teams.
• Follow approved procedures, drawings, and engineering direction while maintaining strong documentation, traceability, and process discipline.
• Provide hands-on feedback to improve build execution, tooling, hardware recovery, and work instructions.
• Contribute to technical knowledge sharing and standardization of best practices across build teams.

Skills

Electromechanical troubleshooting

Hardware integration

Documentation & traceability

Reading mechanical drawings

Hands-on fabrication

Tools

Test equipment

Machining tools

Electrical wiring tools

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

As a Build Development Technician at Zipline, you will support advanced hardware builds across development, validation, production, and remanufacturing environments.

This role combines build execution, system integration, hardware rework/recovery, and validation support for rapidly evolving hardware systems. You will work on complex builds where processes, configurations, and hardware requirements may still be changing.

Build Development Technicians support hardware builds, validation activities, hardware recovery efforts, and hands-on technical execution across Engineering, Manufacturing, Validation, Production, and Field Operations teams.

This role requires strong craftsmanship, technical judgment, troubleshooting capability, and process discipline in fast-paced hardware development environments.

What You'll Do

• Build, integrate, rework, and support complex electromechanical hardware across development, validation, production, and remanufacturing environments.
• Perform hands-on electrical and mechanical work including wiring, soldering, system integration, composite work, machining, tester/fixture setup, and hardware rework activities.
• Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, test, and system-level issues during hardware build and validation activities.
• Support hardware validation, functional testing, system checks, and hardware readiness activities across evolving hardware and production environments.
• Rework non-conforming or damaged hardware into build-ready, test-ready, or flight-ready condition when appropriate.
• Contribute to high-priority hardware builds, investigations, and non-standard execution efforts across Engineering, Manufacturing, Validation, Production, and Field Operations teams.
• Follow approved procedures, drawings, and engineering direction while maintaining strong documentation, traceability, and process discipline.
• Provide hands-on feedback to improve build execution, tooling, hardware recovery, and work instructions.
• Contribute to technical knowledge sharing and standardization of best practices across build teams.

What You'll Bring

• Over 4 years of hands-on experience in UAV/drone, aerospace, robotics, automotive, manufacturing, or other complex hardware environments.
• Experience supporting hardware builds across prototype, development, validation, production, or remanufacturing environments.
• Strong hands-on electromechanical aptitude and troubleshooting capability.
• Experience working with complex mechanical and electrical assemblies, test equipment, fixtures, composites, machining, or integrated hardware systems.
• Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, schematics, BOMs, and technical documentation.
• High level of craftsmanship, attention to detail, and ability to deliver under schedule pressure.
• Strong communication and documentation skills, with the ability to clearly communicate technical issues and tradeoffs.
• Comfortable operating in fast-paced hardware environments where systems, processes, and priorities may evolve rapidly.
• Strong ownership mindset, process discipline, and ability to adapt to changing hardware and build requirements.

Nice to Have