Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician

Zipline; Esparto (CA); On-site; USD 91,693,056 - 120,347,136; Full time

Job summary

Zipline in Esparto, California seeks a Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician to keep prototype flight vehicles, ground infrastructure, and test equipment safe and ready for development and field operations. You will execute component replacements, perform checkouts, run endurance campaigns, and document configuration records to enable reliable test data and informed vehicle-readiness decisions.

This on-site role requires rotating shifts and travel up to 20% across the United States, with

Qualifications

• Experience operating machine-shop equipment and building mechanical assemblies.
• Hands-on experience with electrical and electronic assemblies across power levels.
• Experience setting up, instrumenting, executing, and documenting hardware tests with engineers.
• Ability to troubleshoot test issues to a first-order diagnosis and document findings clearly.

Responsibilities

• Maintain prototype aircraft, ground infrastructure, and test equipment for ready test campaigns.
• Replace vehicle components and perform checkouts with complete maintenance records.
• Run endurance tests and reliability campaigns using documented procedures.
• Prepare test articles and instrumentation to execute test specs as written.
• Verify maintenance and test setups meet safety and data-capture requirements before testing.
• Document faults and escalate root-cause analysis to engineers.
• Produce reports linking observations to reliability improvements and vehicle readiness.
• Travel 20% to support testing across Zipline locations.

Skills

Prototype aircraft

Electrical/test wiring

Hardware test setup

Troubleshooting

Documentation

Safety compliance

Shift work

Travel readiness

Tools

Electrical test equipment

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 You And The Role Zipline builds autonomous delivery systems that move essential goods. As a Maintenance Operations Engineering Technician in Esparto, California, you will keep prototype flight vehicles, ground infrastructure, and test equipment safe, configured, and ready for engineering development and field operations.

You will own hands-on maintenance and test execution: replacing components, preparing vehicles and test setups, running endurance campaigns, and isolating first-order issues. Your work enables safe test execution, reliable data capture, accurate configuration records, and evidence engineers use for design and vehicle-readiness decisions.

This role is based on site in Esparto, California, with flexibility required to support testing operations at other locations across the United States.

What You\'ll Do

• Maintain prototype aircraft, ground infrastructure, and test equipment to keep approved test campaigns executable and vehicles available for engineering work.
• Replace vehicle components, perform checkouts, and maintain complete maintenance documentation and configuration records.
• Execute semi-automated vehicle checkouts, reliability campaigns, and endurance tests using documented procedures and repeatable setups.
• Prepare test articles, equipment, instrumentation, and data-acquisition systems so test specifications can be executed as written.
• Verify completed maintenance and test setups meet documented configuration, safety-check, instrumentation, and data-capture requirements before test execution.
• Independently isolate and document first-order test-system or test-article faults; surface deviations and escalate root-cause resolution to engineers.
• Produce test reports that connect observations and data to reliability improvements, design iterations, and vehicle-readiness decisions.
• Travel to support testing, maintenance, and operational needs at other Zipline locations across the United States.

What You\'ll Bring

• Experience operating common machine-shop equipment and building mechanical assemblies, fixtures, jigs, or test hardware.
• Hands-on experience with electrical and electronic assemblies across different power levels and component sizes.
• Experience setting up, instrumenting, executing, and documenting hardware or hardware/software tests alongside engineers.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot test issues to a first-order diagnosis and communicate clear evidence for engineering follow-up.
• Ability to interpret electrical specifications, mechanical drawings, test procedures, diagrams, and incomplete work instructions.
• Discipline in organizing test data, maintaining configuration records, and communicating findings clearly in writing and verbally.
• Ability to work rotating shifts, including nights and weekends, on site in Esparto, California.
• Ability to travel approximately 20% of the time, including trips of up to two weeks, to support testing operations across the United States.
• Eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship now or in the future.

What Else You Need to Know The hourly range for this role is $32 - $42. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate\'s experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; overtime pay; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal or local law or our other policies. 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! #zr