Environmental Test Technician

Zipline•South San Francisco, CA

About The Position

As a member of Zipline’s Structural Testing team, the Environmental Test Technician supports product reliability and engineering validation in R&D test facilities. The role divides time between maintaining and supporting more than 30 environmental test chambers and conducting dynamic and vibration tests. The technician partners with design, reliability, test, and engineering teams to provide testing support and help produce high-quality designs. The position supports environmental chamber systems, including Espec, Test Equity, and Q-Lab equipment, through installation, maintenance, troubleshooting, repairs, preventative maintenance, user support, and spare-parts management. It also supports the vibration lab and other test systems by executing test plans, developing fixtures, setting up and instrumenting tests, collecting and validating data, conducting first-pass analysis and root-cause investigations, and writing detailed reports. The role may include on-site support at flight-test locations and rotating on-call response to emergencies.

Requirements

Hands-on experience operating, maintaining, or troubleshooting mechanical, electrical, or laboratory test equipment.
Ability to interpret PLC ladder logic, electrical specifications, schematics, blueprints, and mechanical drawings.
Experience working on hardware/software projects and collaborating with hardware engineers.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills and strong attention to detail.
Ability to organize data clearly and present facts effectively.
Hands-on machine-shop experience and proficiency operating common mechanical equipment.
Physical ability to climb ladders, lift equipment, and work in confined spaces.
Flexibility to participate in a rotating on-call schedule and support shifting laboratory test priorities.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience with HVAC or refrigeration systems.
Prior experience with data acquisition systems (DAQs), sensors, instrumentation, or vibration controllers.

Responsibilities

Maintain more than 30 environmental test chambers used in R&D testing.
Install, maintain, troubleshoot, and repair environmental test chamber systems, including Espec, Test Equity, and Q-Lab systems.
Schedule and conduct preventative maintenance, including cleaning, replacing consumables, inspections, and performance testing to maximize equipment uptime.
Assist staff with delivery-drone R&D environmental test setups, train users on equipment programming, and support continuous equipment operation.
Diagnose and repair mechanical, electrical, and water supply systems.
Interpret PLC ladder logic, schematics, blueprints, and mechanical diagrams.
Order, inventory, and manage spare parts, materials, and equipment.
Coordinate and oversee third-party contractors performing maintenance or repairs.
Provide on-call emergency response according to criticality on a rotating basis with other technicians.
Support the vibration lab, including electrodynamic shakers, HALT chambers, and other test systems.
Execute test plans and develop fixtures for dynamic testing.
Create test setups to engineering specifications, including interpreting test procedures and diagrams, instrumentation, data acquisition, test-article diagnostics, and front-line root causing.
Instrument test assets, collect periodic data, and validate lab tests by comparing results with real flight data.
Perform first-pass data analysis, lead root-cause efforts, and write detailed reports using data and first-order analysis to inform design recommendations.
Partner with test technicians and engineers across test campaigns, including providing on-site support at flight-test locations.