Field Service Engineer - SMI (Structures, Mechanisms & Integration)

ZipLine•South San Francisco, CA

62d•Onsite

About The Position

Field Service Engineers at Zipline are the tip of the spear in identifying and eliminating failure modes across our global operations. You will be the technical authority for your subsystem (Avionics, Ground Systems, Powertrain, or SMI), working across hardware and software boundaries to drive improvements into design, manufacturing, and operational practices. You'll combine hands-on troubleshooting, deep systems knowledge, and cross-functional communication to debug and resolve failures. Whether it's a GPS dropout, a motor burnout, a power spike, or a hinge crack, you'll be responsible for finding it, understanding it, and working with engineering to fix it permanently. This is a high-trust, high-autonomy role for engineers who want to own the health and performance of our hardware in the real world.

Requirements

2-7 years of experience in field engineering, failure analysis, reliability, or hardware validation
Degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent experience
Strong fundamentals in in embedded systems: electrical, mechanical, or electromechanical
Demonstrated ability to investigate and resolve complex, intermittent field issues
Familiarity with diagnostic tools: multimeters, oscilloscopes, CAN/serial bus analyzers, thermography, mechanical inspection, etc.
Deep technical knowledge in at least one of: avionics, industrial/mechatronics systems, power electronics, motors, embedded motor control, batteries, carbon-fiber structures
Strong data fluency; able to analyze large volumes of logs/telemetry using Python, SQL, MATLAB or similar
Excellent written and verbal communication for cross-functional technical reporting
Strong systems mindset with a bias for fast iteration, field experimentation, and permanent fixes
Experience in aerospace, automotive, drones, robotics, or high-reliability industries
Knowledge of FTA, DFMEA, PFMEA
Hands-on experience in design validation testing (HALT, thermal shock, vibration)
Familiarity with remote tooling: OTA updates, remote debug, telemetry systems
Experience working in high-ownership environments and emerging markets

Responsibilities

Own the implementation of design and processes improvements that address field reliability, reduce downtime, and support long-term economic goals
Investigate field failures by combining data analysis, log review, and physical failure analysis
Perform root cause analysis using first principles, 5-Whys, and fault tree methods
Create and lead containment actions, corrective actions, and permanent design/process fixes
Provide technical leadership during field escalations, with hands-on support as needed
Build tooling and diagnostics to proactively monitor health of fleet systems
Influence DFM, DFT, and maintainability for next-generation designs
Act as the technical bridge between Ops, Engineering, and Manufacturing
Troubleshoot and root cause structures and mechanism performance issues in flight: structural hardware failures, mechanism wear, damage, & underperformance, and fatigue/life damage.
Develop software and dashboards to track critical flight metrics, analyze large datasets of flight performance, and automated log review and notification. Python is a must.
Work with field and maintenance teams to develop rapid and robust maintenance and inspection procedures that evolve with our understanding of the hardware.
Drive corrective actions for SMI hardware along with design engineers including design changes, process changes, and checkout and detection processes.