Engineering Technician, Powertrain

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 57,859 - 71,635; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Full-time benefits

Job summary

Zipline builds autonomous delivery aircraft and ground systems that operate daily in varied field conditions. As an Engineering Technician, you will partner closely with design and test engineers to build, operate, troubleshoot, and improve the hardware and test systems that enable the development, validation, and production of our battery and power electronics products.

The Battery & Power Electronics team is responsible for delivering power throughout the aircraft—including batteries, power

Qualifications

• Experience building, assembling, troubleshooting or supporting electromechanical systems at relevant career level.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with hand tools and fabrication equipment.
• Experience reading mechanical drawings and electrical schematics.

Responsibilities

• Support prototype development from build to testing and iteration.
• Set up and operate laboratory equipment and validate hardware changes.
• Troubleshoot prototype hardware and implement corrective actions.
• Improve laboratory workflows, fixtures, and test efficiency.
• Collaborate with Mechanical, Electrical, Test, Manufacturing, Reliability, and Systems engineers.

Skills

Hand tools

Soldering

Wiring harness

Electrical schematics

Troubleshooting

Laboratory equipment

Mechanical aptitude

Communication

Tools

Oscilloscope

DAQ systems

Battery cyclers

Environmental chambers

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 builds autonomous delivery aircraft and ground systems that operate daily in varied field conditions. Reliable products depend on exceptional hands‑on execution. As an Engineering Technician, you will partner closely with design and test engineers to build, operate, troubleshoot, and improve the hardware and test systems that enable the development, validation, and production of our battery and power electronics products.

The Battery & Power Electronics team is responsible for delivering power throughout the aircraft—including batteries, power distribution systems, busbars, and power connectors. You will support product development by assembling prototypes, fabricating test fixtures, operating laboratory equipment, executing engineering validation, and driving continuous improvements that increase engineering quality and development speed.

This role is open to technicians at all levels. Responsibilities, technical scope, and ownership grow with experience—from supporting prototype builds and laboratory operations to independently owning complex hardware builds, laboratory systems, validation activities, and continuous improvement initiatives.

What You’ll Do

Support engineering programs from prototype build → test setup → execution → troubleshooting → continuous improvement.

Prototype Development

• Build, assemble, modify, and maintain engineering prototypes, battery systems, power electronics assemblies, wiring harnesses, and electromechanical hardware.
• Assemble and commission custom test equipment, fixtures, instrumentation, and laboratory infrastructure using engineering drawings, electrical schematics, and work instructions.
• Perform wiring, soldering, crimping, cable fabrication, connector assembly, and mechanical assembly using high‑quality engineering and manufacturing practices.
• Fabricate and modify test fixtures, mechanical components, wiring harnesses, and laboratory tooling using standard shop equipment and rapid prototyping methods.
• Support engineering changes, prototype iterations, and hardware bring‑up throughout the product development lifecycle.

Validation & Laboratory Operations

• Set up, operate, and maintain laboratory equipment including power supplies, electronic loads, battery cyclers, oscilloscopes, DAQ systems, environmental chambers, vibration equipment, and thermal instrumentation.
• Execute engineering validation activities including battery characterization, environmental, vibration, thermal, fatigue, abuse, electrical performance, and reliability testing.
• Collect, document, and organize engineering data while ensuring repeatability, traceability, and measurement quality.
• Maintain laboratory organization, calibration records, tooling, consumables, and equipment to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient engineering operations.
• Support commissioning of new laboratory equipment and validation infrastructure.

Troubleshooting & Continuous Improvement

• Troubleshoot prototype hardware, laboratory equipment, and test systems, partnering with engineers to identify root causes and implement corrective actions.
• Identify and implement improvements to laboratory workflows, assembly methods, fixture designs, tooling, and test efficiency.
• Develop and improve work instructions, assembly documentation, laboratory procedures, and standard operating practices.
• Partner closely with Mechanical, Electrical, Test, Manufacturing, Reliability, and Systems Engineers to rapidly iterate hardware and improve engineering execution.
• As experience grows, independently own prototype builds, laboratory equipment, validation activities, and portions of engineering programs while mentoring teammates and driving improvements to laboratory capability and engineering processes.

What You’ll Bring

• Experience building, assembling, troubleshooting, or supporting electromechanical systems appropriate to your career level.
• Strong mechanical aptitude with experience using hand tools, precision measurement equipment, and fabrication equipment.
• Experience reading mechanical drawings, electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, assembly documentation, and engineering work instructions.
• Experience with wiring harness fabrication, crimping, soldering, cable routing, connector assembly, and electrical integration.
• Familiarity with laboratory instrumentation including oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, DAQ systems, battery cyclers, environmental chambers, and vibration equipment.
• Experience supporting engineering validation, prototype development, manufacturing, or production testing is preferred.
• Strong troubleshooting skills with the ability to independently diagnose and resolve mechanical and electrical issues.
• Excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and commitment to safe laboratory practices.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary engineering teams.

What Else You Need To Know

The starting hourly range for this role is $42–$52. This role includes overtime eligibility, stock options, and full‑time benefits. 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!