Flight Test Operator, Half Moon Bay

Namely; Half Moon Bay (CA); On-site; USD 50,971 - 61,992; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking a hands-on Flight Test Operator to bring early-stage aircraft from prototype to production bring-up. You will run flight campaigns, validate airworthiness, and coordinate with engineering, safety, and manufacturing to deliver reliable, field-ready systems.

Expect to work at Zipline test sites, including weekends and night shifts, with occasional travel between sites. FAA Part 107 certification and drone/aerial piloting experience are required.

Qualifications

• Experience piloting drones or aircraft is required.
• Candidate must hold FAA Part 107 certification at joining.
• Demonstrated aeronautical decision making and safety accountability.
• Ability to own test campaigns end-to-end and coordinate across teams.
• Willingness to work in failure-heavy field environments and outdoors.
• Nice-to-have: Linux CLI, rapid prototyping, automated flight systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end daily flight test campaigns as Remote Pilot in Command.
• Execute and document repeatable ground and flight test procedures.
• Troubleshoot software and hardware issues on-site to return to flight.
• Summarize results with qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Escalate anomalies to engineering and safety for resolution.
• Enforce safety, brief/debrief, and refine SOPs for reliability.
• Work onsite at Zipline test sites and travel between locations as needed.

Skills

Drone piloting experience

Aeronautical decision making

Go/no-go decision making

Own test campaigns

Safety leadership

Linux CLI

Rapid prototyping

Automated flight systems

Education

FAA Part 107 certification

Tools

Automated flight systems

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

You are a hands‑on Flight Test Operator focused on bringing early‑stage Zipline aircraft from prototype through production bring‑up. You will execute, iterate, and sign off on flight operations that validate airworthiness, avionics/software integration, and field‑deployable procedures that enable drone delivery at scale. You’ll work at Zipline’s test site(s) and coordinate closely with vehicle engineering, software, safety, manufacturing, and field operations to turn early‑stage flight software into reliable, release‑ready aircraft. This role matters because timely, rigorous flight validation reduces deployment risk, shortens product development cycles, and directly affects delivery reliability for our customers.

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 mission profiles, feature testing, and fault injection testing
• Validate functionality through repeatable ground and flight test procedures
• Troubleshoot and repair software and hardware issues on‑site to return aircraft to flight
• Summarize test results: provide qualitative and quantitative analysis on the performance of an aircraft as it completes its mission - comparing to a set of expected outcomes provided by engineering
• Escalate flight performance anomalies to engineering and safety, driving discussion towards resolution
• Enforce and improve site safety: manage risks for prototype flights, run briefings and debriefs, and refine SOPs to reduce repeat failures.
• Location & schedule: This role is onsite at a Zipline test site (outdoor/field conditions). Expect to work weekends and night 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 failure‑heavy, iterative field environments where 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, make safety‑forward go/no‑go decisions, document results clearly, and coordinate across engineering, safety, and manufacturing to drive closure.
• Nice‑to‑have: Linux command‑line comfort, rapid‑prototyping skills (3D printing, basic machining), and experience with automated flight systems.

What Else You Need To Know

Please note that:

This is a full‑time position and the starting cash range for this role is $37 - $45/ hour.

Equal Opportunity Statement

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!