Controls Engineer, Production Equipment

Zipline•South San Francisco, CA

3h•$140,000 - $160,000•Onsite

About The Position

Zipline’s Manufacturing Engineering team delivers production systems that turn autonomous delivery aircraft and their subsystems into reliable, repeatable products at scale. The Controls Engineer, Production Equipment develops and integrates controls and electrical interfaces for production fixtures, workstations, and automated equipment at Coop, Zipline’s South San Francisco manufacturing site. The role translates assembly and test requirements into equipment sequencing, interlocks, sensor and actuator interfaces, and fault diagnosis for aircraft, battery packs, docks, and flight-critical subsystems. It works closely with mechanical and test partners through equipment build, acceptance, commissioning, and production support. This is a hands-on individual-contributor position with ownership of equipment design, build, commissioning, and improvement on the factory floor. The work affects production throughput, first-pass yield, assembly cycle time, and maintenance uptime for production lines serving field operations and live delivery fleets. The role is site-based, with regular on-site presence during standard manufacturing shifts, occasional off-hours commissioning, and up to 15% travel to vendor or field sites. The starting cash range is $140,000–$160,000. Total compensation may also include equity, discretionary annual or performance bonuses, sales incentives, and benefits such as medical, dental, and vision insurance and paid time off.

Requirements

At least 2 years designing production equipment, fixtures, or custom automation in a high-volume or fast-ramping manufacturing environment.
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
Demonstrated mastery of GD&T, tolerance analysis, mechanism design, material selection, and failure-mode thinking for assembly tooling.
Proficiency in 3D CAD; Siemens NX is preferred, while SolidWorks or Creo experience is acceptable with strong intent to learn NX.
Hands-on factory-floor equipment commissioning experience, including fabrication support, build, debugging, testing, and operator training; comfortable spending most of the week on-site.
Practical knowledge of pneumatics, actuators, sensors, linear motion, machine guarding, and industrial electrical interfaces used in tooling and small automation.
Track record of delivering quantitative outcomes in cycle time, uptime, first-pass yield, or cost per unit, and making trade-offs between throughput, reliability, and maintainability.
Ability to coordinate vendor builds and perform acceptance testing against technical drawings and QA criteria.
Willingness to work on-site during standard manufacturing shifts, be available for occasional off-hours commissioning, and travel up to 15% to vendor or field sites.
High ownership of safety and reliability, decisive technical judgment under schedule pressure, comfort with ambiguity and rapid iteration, and willingness to escalate and resolve issues affecting fleet readiness.

Nice To Haves

5–7 years of relevant experience preferred.
Experience with aerospace, drones, medical devices, or safety-critical electromechanical products is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

Develop and validate equipment sequences, interlocks, sensor and actuator interfaces, and fault-recovery behavior against assembly requirements and safety criteria.
Diagnose control and electrical-interface faults during build, acceptance, and production ramps, coordinating changes with mechanical, manufacturing, and test engineers.
Own controls and electrical-interface delivery for production equipment from requirements through vendor build, commissioning, and production release; partner with mechanical engineers on CAD, detailed drawings, and integrated equipment acceptance.
Deliver measurable improvements, including tooling availability above 95%, manual assembly cycle-time reductions of 20–40% per station, and at least a 10% improvement in first-pass yield on targeted assemblies within the first 6–12 months of deployment.
Develop and integrate controls for alignment fixtures, press and torque tooling, ergonomic operator stations, poka-yoke devices, handling and transport fixtures, and automated end-of-line test rigs tied to build and test specifications for aircraft, battery packs, and docks.
Perform on-line debugging and rapid root-cause analysis during launches and ramp phases, including weekend or evening commissioning efforts during critical releases.
Apply controls and interface standards and collaborate on tooling design standards, GD&T practices, tolerance stacks, and material and process selections that meet safety and maintainability requirements.
Coordinate with Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Test Engineering, and Field Operations to align tooling scope, test requirements, and production schedules.
Work with fabricators and vendors by writing technical RFQs, evaluating proposals, verifying vendor quality control, and performing acceptance testing at build and after installation.
Support fabrication, equipment build, debugging, testing, and operator training on the factory floor.