Powertrain Test Engineering Lead

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline, the world’s leading autonomous drone delivery company, seeks a Head of Powertrain Test Engineering to lead a team responsible for motor, propeller, and actuator testing across the full flight envelope. You will own test methods, thermal modeling, and reliability initiatives while partnering with design engineers to close loops on cooling and derating.

This role blends hands-on lab leadership with strategic direction, delivering data-driven insights to optimize performance for real-world

Qualifications

• 8+ years in hardware test engineering or propulsion development, including 2+ years in a leadership role.
• Hands-on experience testing electric motors (BLDC) and/or propellers.
• Strong motor thermal modeling and test correlation.
• Strong understanding of motor electromagnetics and loss mechanisms.
• Experience testing actuators or servo motors, including position/rate control and endurance.
• Strong reliability engineering methods: FMEA, life/Weibull, accelerated life testing.
• Experience designing or specifying large, complex test equipment (dynos, thrust stands, wind tunnels, environmental chambers).
• Strong data instrumentation and analysis skills (DAQ, sensors, signal conditioning).
• Proficiency in Python or equivalent for scripting and data analysis.
• Experience managing cross-functional test programs in fast-moving hardware programs.
• Hands-on problem solving; lab and test floor orientation.

Responsibilities

• Hire, lead, and grow a team of specialist test engineers and technicians.
• Develop multi-month test campaigns for motor performance across the flight envelope.
• Own test methods for motor electromagnetic performance and EMI/EMC behavior.
• Develop and validate thermal models against instrumented test data.
• Own propeller test programs for thrust, power, efficiency, and durability.
• Own actuator and servo motor test programs for flight-critical control surfaces.
• Apply reliability concepts to drive fault identification and design improvements.
• Drive failure analysis testing for field hardware and test failures.
• Partner with design engineering to develop large-scale test equipment (dynos, wind tunnels).
• Develop inputs for vehicle-level diagnostics and early warning systems.

Skills

Hardware test engineering

Reliability engineering

Powertrain testing

Test equipment design

Actuators and motors testing

Thermal modeling

Motor electromagnetics

Python scripting

Data analysis

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical/Aerospace/Electrical Engineering

Tools

Dynamometers

Thrust stands

Wind tunnels

Environmental chambers

DAQ systems

Sensor conditioning

Python scripting

Job description

Zipline, the world’s leading autonomous drone delivery company, seeks a Head of Powertrain Test Engineering to lead a team responsible for motor, propeller, and actuator testing across the full flight envelope. You will own test methods, thermal modeling, and reliability initiatives while partnering with design engineers to close loops on cooling and derating.

This role blends hands-on lab leadership with strategic direction, delivering data-driven insights to optimize performance for real-world