Flight Test Operator - Esparto, CA (UAS Drone Delivery) at Zipline International

University of Delaware; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 47,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline seeks a hands-on Flight Test Operator to execute high-volume flight testing, validating safety, reliability, and readiness of Zipline’s aircraft and delivery systems. You will conduct tests at Zipline test sites, coordinating with reliability engineering, software, hardware, safety, maintenance and manufacturing to drive improvements.

Expect on-site work at outdoor test locations, with weekend, night, and overnight shifts and occasional travel between test sites.

Qualifications

• Experience piloting drones or manned aircraft.
• Demonstrated aeronautical decision making and accountability.
• Operational intensity and logistics in high-tempo environments.
• Ownership and communication across engineering, safety, maintenance and manufacturing.
• Safety and reliability mindset with attention to detail in testing.
• Nice-to-have: Linux command line familiarity and basic troubleshooting.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end daily flight test campaign execution as Remote Pilot in Command for Zipline’s Autonomous Aircraft.
• Validate system performance through repeatable ground and flight test procedures.
• Troubleshoot and repair software and hardware issues on-site to safely return aircraft to flight.
• Summarize test results with qualitative and quantitative analysis against targets and safety requirements.
• Escalate anomalies and safety risks to engineering and safety teams for resolution.
• Enforce and improve site safety, run briefings/debriefs, and refine SOPs.
• Support continuous improvement to increase throughput, data quality, and efficiency without compromising safety.

Skills

Drone piloting

Decision making

Operational logistics

Team coordination

Safety mindset

Linux basics

Tools

Linux

Job description

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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.

You are a hands-on Flight Test Operator focused on executing high-volume flight testing that proves the safety, reliability, and operational readiness of Zipline’s aircraft and delivery systems. You will conduct repeatable flight operations across a wide range of mission profiles, environmental conditions, and system configurations to identify failure modes, validate performance, and build confidence in the system at scale. You’ll work at Zipline’s test site(s) and coordinate closely with reliability engineering, software, hardware, safety, maintenance, manufacturing, and field operations to turn test results into measurable improvements in system performance. This role matters because disciplined, high-volume testing exposes risks before they reach customers, strengthens the safety case for our technology, and directly improves the reliability of every delivery.

What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end daily flight test campaign execution - Acting as Remote Pilot in Command for Zipline’s Autonomous Aircraft - executing high-volume mission profiles, reliability testing, regression testing, and fault injection testing
• Validate system performance through repeatable ground and flight test procedures across varied operating conditions
• Troubleshoot and repair software and hardware issues on-site to safely and efficiently return aircraft to flight
• Summarize test results: provide qualitative and quantitative analysis on aircraft and system performance - comparing results to expected outcomes, reliability targets, and safety requirements
• Escalate flight performance anomalies, recurring failures, and emerging safety risks to engineering and safety, driving discussion towards containment and resolution
• Enforce and improve site safety: manage risks during high-tempo flight operations, run briefings and debriefs, identify operational hazards, and refine SOPs to prevent repeat failures
• Support continuous improvement of test operations by identifying opportunities to increase throughput, consistency, data quality, and operational efficiency without compromising safety
• Location & schedule: This role is onsite at a Zipline test site (outdoor/field conditions). Expect to work weekends, night and overnight shifts, and occasional regional travel between test sites when required.

What You'll Bring

• FAA Part 107 certification (required at time of joining)
• Experience piloting drones or manned aircraft
• Demonstrated aeronautical decision making and accountability: experience owning go/no-go decisions, creating preflight checklists, and escalating safety incidents with clear documentation
• Operational intensity and logistics: Comfortable working in high-tempo, failure-heavy field environments where consistent execution, rapid diagnostics, and repairs under time pressure are routine; able to lift and move 50+ lb equipment and work outdoors for multi-hour test windows
• Ownership and communication: Proven ability to own test campaigns end-to-end, maintain high standards across repetitive operations, make safety-forward go/no-go decisions, document results clearly, and coordinate across engineering, safety, maintenance, and manufacturing to drive closure
• Safety and reliability mindset: Able to recognize trends across repeated operations, identify emerging risks, and maintain attention to detail during high-volume testing
• Nice-to-have: Linux command-line comfort, experience with reliability or endurance testing, basic mechanical or electrical troubleshooting skills, and experience with automated flight systems

What Else You Need To Know

Please note that you:

Must be willing to work some nights/weekends.
Must be a US citizen or Permanent Resident.
Must be able to relocate to Yolo County, CA

The starting cash range for this role is $34 - $38 / hour.

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.