Hardware Test Intern (Summer 2027)

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 36,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline in South San Francisco (and Dallas) offers in-person, full-time internships within the Hardware Test Team. You will help ensure the performance, reliability, and safety of drone systems by building and validating test assets across avionics, power, and mechanical subsystems.

You will own your test asset end-to-end—from concept and data collection to analysis and engineering-driven recommendations. Hands-on problem solving and hardware interfacing are essential to success in this role.

Qualifications

• Able to interpret datasheets and write basic drivers for new components.
• Understanding of fundamental electrical and/or mechanical engineering principles.
• Experience with common electrical test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, etc.).
• Desirable: Python programming, embedded C, and hardware interfacing skills.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with cross‑functional engineering teams to define clear component and tester requirements
• Validate the design and assembly of components ranging from circuit boards to large mechanical or electromechanical assemblies
• Streamline testing, data collection, analysis, and reporting
• Gain deep expertise in the components or systems under test to understand their expected behavior under a variety of operating conditions
• Own a test asset through its entire lifecycle—from planning and implementation to system validation, troubleshooting, and analysis of results

Skills

Datasheet interpretation

Basic drivers development

Engineering fundamentals

Electrical test equipment experience

Python programming

Embedded C

Hardware interfacing

Tools

Oscilloscopes

Multimeters

Power supplies

Data acquisition

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.

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 The Hardware Test Team

The Hardware Test Team plays a critical role in ensuring the performance, reliability, and safety of the systems that power Zipline’s life-saving delivery drones. As a cross‑functional group supporting multiple hardware engineering domains, we design and execute rigorous testing strategies across avionics, power systems, mechanical assemblies, sensors, and other mission‑critical components. Operating at the intersection of hardware and software, we validate integrated systems under real‑world and simulated conditions to ensure our products perform flawlessly in some of the most demanding environments on Earth. Our work directly advances Zipline’s mission to provide fast, dependable access to essential medical and commercial supplies around the globe.

The Role

In developing a test asset, you will gain a deep understanding of the system you are working on—whether that includes embedded electronics, avionics, sensing systems, power distribution, mechanical actuation, or full subsystem integrations. Building these test assets often involves designing and constructing mechatronic systems as well as developing complex automation scripts that coordinate sensors, actuators, and instrumentation with operator safety in mind.

You will own your test asset end‑to‑end: from early concept and system definition, to implementation, data collection, analysis, and ultimately the recommendations that inform engineering decisions. If you are excited by hands‑on engineering, solving ambiguous technical problems, and building tools that raise the bar for hardware quality, this role is for you.

What You’ll Do

• Collaborate with cross‑functional engineering teams to define clear component and tester requirements
• Validate the design and assembly of components ranging from circuit boards to large mechanical or electromechanical assemblies
• Streamline testing, data collection, analysis, and reporting
• Gain deep expertise in the components or systems under test to understand their expected behavior under a variety of operating conditions
• Own a test asset through its entire lifecycle—from planning and implementation to system validation, troubleshooting, and analysis of results

What You’ll Bring

• Ability to interpret datasheets and write basic drivers for new components
• Understanding of fundamental electrical and/or mechanical engineering principles
• Experience working with common electrical test equipment (multimeters, oscilloscopes, power supplies, etc.)
• Nice to have: Experience programming in Python, with foundational knowledge of embedded C; Experience developing software that interfaces directly with hardware and instrumentation

What Else You Should Know

Our internships are full‑time positions, in‑person at our South San Francisco or Dallas office. We will host our Summer 2027 interns from May/June to August/September. Candidates are limited to three (3) applications within a 30‑day period. 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. Zipline is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your point of contact at Zipline know if you require any accommodations throughout your interview process.

Voluntary Self‑Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self‑identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Zipline ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.