Supplier Industrialization Engineer - PCBA

Namely; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is expanding its life-saving technology reach and seeks a Supplier Industrialization Engineer (SIE) with extensive PCBA knowledge. You will lead supplier quality, development, and manufacturing excellence, collaborating with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing teams.

This in-person role is based at our South San Francisco HQ. Expect up to 35% international travel to engage suppliers, optimize processes, and drive continuous improvement across the supply ecosystem.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience with PCBA and TLA production processes.
• Proven supplier audits and PPAP/APQP expertise.
• Strong knowledge of IPC and ISO standards.
• Ability to travel internationally up to 35%.

Responsibilities

• Perform DfM on PCBA and TLA and guide engineering teams.
• Drive contract manufacturers (CM) on quality, responsiveness, and efficiency.
• Own field quality through supplier corrective actions (SCARs).
• Lead supplier quotations with PCBA/TLA expertise and cost targets.
• Balance production line capacity and optimize flow.
• Audit suppliers to meet Zipline requirements.
• Deploy SPC methodologies for data-driven decisions.
• Lead CTQ during NPIs at supplier sites.
• Travel up to 35% to engage with manufacturing partners.

Skills

PCB/PCBA manufacturing

DFM for PCBAs

SMT & through-hole

Root cause analysis

IPC/ISO knowledge

Supplier audits

Data analytics

Automation with suppliers

Tools

Gerber viewers

SPC software

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 the Role

Zipline is expanding its life-saving technology's reach from tens to hundreds of millions of people. To achieve this, we require a Supplier Industrialization Engineer (SIE) with extensive PCBA knowledge to spearhead supplier quality, development, and manufacturing excellence. You will play a crucial role in supplier selection, qualification, process control, and automation, collaborating closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing teams.

This high-impact role will allow you to shape Zipline's supply ecosystem, enhance manufacturing processes, and elevate supplier quality through continuous improvement.

What You’​ll Do

• Perform Design for Manufacturing (DfM) on PCBAs and Top Level Assembly (TLA) and provide design guidance to Engineering Teams.
• Drive Contract Manufacturers (CM) on quality, responsiveness, and process efficiency
• Own and be responsible for field quality failures through Supplier Corrective Action Requests (SCARs)
• Participate in supplier quotations by acting as the technical expert and providing the expert knowledge on PCBA and TLA line layout, setup and cost targets.
• Determine and manage production line layout capacity by balancing cycle time and driving process flow changes.
• Audit and improve suppliers onsite to meet Zipline requirements.
• Deploy and monitor statistical quality control (SPC) methodologies, ensuring data-driven decision-making and process stability.
• Ensure compliance with IPC, ISO, and automotive/aerospace standards (e.g., IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, AS9100, IATF16949).
• Act as the critical-to-quality (CTQ) leadership during New Product Introductions (NPIs) at suppliers sites.
• International travel (up to 35%) is required to engage with manufacturing partners, sometimes on short notice.

What You’​ll Bring

• 3+ years of experience in Supplier Quality, Supplier Development, or Manufacturing Engineering, with a strong focus on PCB/PCBA manufacturing.
• Expertise in PCBA and TLA production processes, including SMT, through-hole soldering, reflow, AOI, ICT, and conformal coating.
• Experience working with CMs for PCB and PCBA assembly (FPC/FPCA is a plus).
• Knowledge of IPC and ISO standards (certification as internal auditor is a plus)
• Proven success in supplier audits, APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, SPC, and supplier selection & monitoring.
• Hands-on experience in root cause analysis & corrective actions (8D, 5-Whys, Pareto, Fishbone).
• Strong DFM experience for PCBAs, proficiency in Gerber viewers.
• Ability to troubleshoot PCBA failures and work with suppliers to improve yield and defect reduction
• Understanding of GD&T.
• Experience leading supplier process validation, including EOL testing and first article qualification.
• Strong experience with data analytics tools (JMP, Minitab, R, etc.) to drive process improvement.
• Success implementing automation/new tech with suppliers to improve efficiency and quality.
• Success optimizing test and inspection strategies, including driving requirements for automated End of Line EOL testing.

Why Join Zipline?

At Zipline, we’re revolutionizing logistics and using advanced technology to deliver critical supplies globally. As a Supplier Industrialization Engineer specializing in PCBA, you will play a pivotal role in scaling our next-generation electronics with best‑in‑class quality and efficiency. If you’re excited about pushing supplier development and manufacturing processes to the next level, we’d love to hear from you!

What else you need to know

This role is an in-person role, based out of our South San Francisco HQ. Must be eligible to work in the US and travel globally 30-40% of the time as needed. The starting cash range for this role is $130,000 - $190,000. 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; 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, 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.