Mech Engineer, Production Test — High-Impact, Onsite

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

Job summary

Zipline is hiring a Mechanical Engineer, Production Test to own mechanical fixtures and test interfaces for repeatable production testing of Zipline aircraft, docks, delivery pods, and subassembly hardware. You will design how products are located, loaded, supported, and connected to production testers and calibration stations.

The role integrates sensors, actuators, instrumentation, and safety interfaces with electrical and software partners to ensure fixtures are repeatable, maintainable, and

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, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• Deep practical skills in instrumentation, signal measurement, power delivery, harnessing, connectorization, sensor/actuator interfaces, and PCBA debug.
• Strong test automation experience: Python preferred; experience with LabVIEW, TestStand, or embedded test frameworks and integrating DAQ, scopes, DMMs, power supplies, and electronic loads.
• Proficiency with embedded/product interfaces (CAN, UART, Ethernet, I2C, SPI, USB) and strategies for validating communications and firmware-hardware interactions.

Responsibilities

• Design production test fixture mechanics for repeatable product locating, loading, handling, and connection, with attention to safe operation and maintainability.
• Integrate instrumentation, sensors, actuators, harnessing, and safety interlocks into mechanical fixtures with electrical and software partners; validate fixture correlation and repeatability.
• Own mechanical design, delivery, and sustainment for production testers and calibration stations from requirements through internal or vendor build, installation, validation, and continuous improvement for aircraft, dock, pod, and subassembly builds.
• Partner on tester acceptance criteria and validate fixture contributions to: test coverage, pass/fail limits, golden-unit strategy, GR&R, capability targets, and production release criteria in partnership with Electrical Design, Firmware, Quality, and Operations.
• Collaborate with electrical and software engineers to integrate electrical and functional testers including harnessing, DAQ, sensors/actuators, power systems, safety interlocks, and mechanical fixtures to meet cycle-time and throughput targets.
• Partner on test automation and data pipelines (Python, LabVIEW/TestStand or equivalent) and validate fixture interactions to enable reproducible, high-throughput test flows, data logging, MES/MFG integration, and production dashboards.
• Drive measurable outcomes: increase first-pass yield, reduce false-fail rate, improve tester uptime/utilization, and shorten per-unit cycle time; set targets and report progress monthly.
• Troubleshoot and resolve production escalations on the floor: resolve fixture issues, tester instability, and product/tester correlation failures, partnering with electrical and software engineers on PCBA-level failures and software bugs under time pressure.
• Support cross-functional launches: coordinate requirements, validation plans, training, calibration schedules, spares strategy, and change control with Manufacturing Engineering, Quality, Technicians, Operations, and external vendors.
• Identify and deploy scalable tester architectures and automation that reduce operator steps, minimize touch time, and standardize interfaces across lines.
• Produce and maintain test documentation: test procedures, maintenance/calibration plans, validation records, and change-control artifacts required for production readiness and traceability.

Education

BS in Electrical, Mechatronics, Mechanical, Computer Engineering

Tools

Python

LabVIEW

TestStand

DAQ

O scopes / DMMs

Job description

Zipline is hiring a Mechanical Engineer, Production Test to own mechanical fixtures and test interfaces for repeatable production testing of Zipline aircraft, docks, delivery pods, and subassembly hardware. You will design how products are located, loaded, supported, and connected to production testers and calibration stations.

The role integrates sensors, actuators, instrumentation, and safety interfaces with electrical and software partners to ensure fixtures are repeatable, maintainable, and