Manufacturing Test Engineer - Automation and Yield

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline, based in South San Francisco, is hiring a Manufacturing Test Engineer to own electrical, functional and automated test systems for aircraft, docks, delivery pods and subassemblies. You’ll lead end-to-end test system delivery on high-throughput production lines, emphasizing safety, traceability and measurable yield improvements.

This onsite role requires hands-on debugging on factory floors, cross-functional coordination, and building scalable tester architectures with Python, LabVIEW

Qualifications

• 2+ years building production test systems, automated test equipment, or end-of-line testers for electro-mechanical or mechatronic products.
• BS in Electrical, Mechatronics, Mechanical, or Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Hands-on skill with instrumentation, signal measurement, power delivery, harnessing, connectors, sensors, actuators, and PCBA-level electrical debug.
• Strong test-automation experience: Python; experience with LabVIEW, TestStand, or embedded test frameworks.
• Proficiency with CAN, UART, Ethernet, I2C, SPI, and USB interfaces and validating communications.
• History of improving production metrics (yield, cycle time, false fails, tester utilization) with data-driven reporting.
• Comfort with cross-functional coordination, vendor builds, FAT/SAT, and production qualification.
• Rigorous safety and traceability mindset; hands-on test/debug capability with measurable outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Own assigned electrical, functional, and automated production testers and calibration stations from requirements through build, installation, validation, release, and sustainment.
• Define test coverage, pass/fail limits, golden-unit strategies, GR&R, capability targets, and release criteria with Design, Firmware, Quality, and Operations.
• Integrate harnesses, DAQ, sensors, actuators, power systems, safety interlocks, and fixtures to meet throughput and cycle-time needs.
• Build automation and data pipelines using Python, LabVIEW/TestStand, or equivalents for reproducible execution and dashboards.
• Troubleshoot production escalations on the factory floor; distinguish product defects from tester issues and validate corrective changes.
• Improve first-pass yield, false-fail rate, tester uptime, utilization, and per-unit cycle time; report progress monthly.
• Coordinate launch readiness with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Technicians, Operations, and vendors; manage training, calibration, spares, and change control.
• Evaluate and deploy scalable tester architectures and automation to reduce touch time and standardize interfaces.

Skills

Production test systems

Automated test equipment

End-of-line testers

Electrical debugging

Test-automation

Python

LabVIEW

TestStand

CAN

UART

Ethernet

I2C

SPI

USB

GR&R

Data-driven metrics

Manufacturing floor support

Education

BS in Electrical Engineering

BS in Mechatronics Engineering

BS in Mechanical Engineering

BS in Computer Engineering

Equivalent experience

Tools

LabVIEW

TestStand

DAQ

Oscilloscopes

DMMs

Power supplies

Electronic loads

Job description

Zipline, based in South San Francisco, is hiring a Manufacturing Test Engineer to own electrical, functional and automated test systems for aircraft, docks, delivery pods and subassemblies. You’ll lead end-to-end test system delivery on high-throughput production lines, emphasizing safety, traceability and measurable yield improvements.

This onsite role requires hands-on debugging on factory floors, cross-functional coordination, and building scalable tester architectures with Python, LabVIEW