Mechanical Test Engineering Manager (SMI)

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity compensation

Performance bonuses

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Zipline in South San Francisco is seeking a Mechanical Test Engineering Manager to lead a multidisciplinary team responsible for testing and validating safety-critical hardware, including Platform 2 as it scales to mass production.

You will guide test strategies, develop campaigns, root-cause failures, and mentor engineers while collaborating with design and software teams to ensure robust, reliable systems for global field deployment.

Qualifications

• Experience leading test engineering teams for hardware development and field deployment.
• Strong understanding of test hardware design, interfacing with software/automation, structures and mechanisms.
• Proven ability to drive teams from concept through production-ready testing.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of test engineers and specialists to test and validate safety-critical hardware.
• Develop strategies and test campaigns to evaluate function, reliability and safety.
• Root cause failures with design engineers and implement robust solutions.
• Set vision for the team and hire world-class engineers.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Test hardware design

Automation interfacing

Team building

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

Zipline is hiring a Mechanical Test Engineering Manager that is excited to lead the team responsible for testing and validating the function and reliability of safety critical hardware at Zipline. A specific focus will be on our new system, Platform 2, as it enters the next phase of development. Platform 2 represents a groundbreaking innovation for Zipline as we prepare to manufacture 100’s of thousands of these life‑saving drones, making it our most ambitious and impactful project to date. This is not just another drone project; it's a game-changing hybrid eVTOL that will revolutionize the way life‑saving products are delivered around the world.

In this role, you will be responsible for leading a multidisciplinary team of test engineers, with broad cross‑functional engagement to deliver performant, safe and proven hardware across the range of initial development testing to full validation test. This effort will enable Zipline’s impact to expand from 100’s of thousand deliveries/year to 100’s of millions in a wide variety of environmental conditions around the world. You will act as a player‑coach who is as comfortable providing strategic vision as they are being in the weeds of the team's designs, builds, analysis and reviews.This role is based at Zipline’s test lab facility in South San Francisco. Travel to field sites and test ranges is typically 5‑10% depending on program phase.

You will help Zipline evolve its hardware testing philosophy and capacity, and grow the team in the process. The success of this team is vital to the success of Zipline overall.

What You’ll Do

• Lead a team of test engineers and specialists. This group is responsible for:
  • Contributing to the overall intuition of the design engineering team through close involvement in design reviews, prototyping, and testing of components and assemblies. Designing, building, operating, purchasing and maintaining test equipment.
  • Developing strategies and test campaigns to efficiently evaluate function, reliability and safety of critical components and assemblies.
  • Root causing failures alongside design engineers and working to create elegant solutions.
• Raise the bar for the existing team by creating a vision for the future of the team based on company goals, and implementing strategies to achieve outcomes.
• Leverage your technical leadership experience in relevant fields to establish a team culture that biases towards action and tests ideas to achieve radically simple and reliable designs.
• Motivate your team with a clear vision and create ambitious plans for your team’s work while holding a high bar for technical quality.
• Build your team by hiring world class engineers.

What You’ll Bring

• Past success leading engineering teams to rapidly develop first of its kind hardware and deploy into the field with the level of rigor that a high volume or safety critical application requires.
• Deep technical depth in test hardware design and interfacing with software and automation, structures, mechanisms, and how to rapidly and effectively test for performance, capability, and reliability
• Enthusiasm for building a team - finding and convincing top talent to join you in your work.
• Past success managing and developing an excellent team of engineers.
• Past success bringing products through the full product development life cycle.
• Location: role is based in South San Francisco.
• Must be eligible to work in the US.

What Else You Need To Know

The starting cash range for this role is $180,000 - $220,000. 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; 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, 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.

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.