Flight Test Operator, Half Moon Bay
About The Position
Zipline is seeking a hands-on Flight Test Operator to bring early-stage aircraft from prototype through production bring-up. The operator will execute, iterate on, and sign off on flight operations that validate airworthiness, avionics and software integration, and field-deployable procedures for drone delivery. The role works at Zipline test sites and coordinates with vehicle engineering, software, safety, manufacturing, and field operations to make early-stage flight software reliable and release-ready. Rigorous flight validation helps reduce deployment risk, shorten product development cycles, and improve delivery reliability. This is an onsite role at a Zipline test site, involving outdoor and field conditions. The schedule includes weekends and night shifts, with occasional regional travel between test sites when required.
Requirements
- FAA Part 107 certification required at time of joining.
- Experience piloting drones or manned aircraft.
- Demonstrated aeronautical decision-making and accountability, including owning go/no-go decisions, creating preflight checklists, and escalating safety incidents with clear documentation.
- Comfort working in failure-heavy, iterative field environments where rapid diagnostics and repairs under time pressure are routine.
- Ability to lift and move equipment weighing 50+ lb and work outdoors during multi-hour test windows.
- Ability to own test campaigns end to end, make safety-forward go/no-go decisions, document results clearly, and coordinate across engineering, safety, and manufacturing to drive closure.
Nice To Haves
- Comfort with the Linux command line.
- Rapid-prototyping skills, such as 3D printing or basic machining.
- Experience with automated flight systems.
Responsibilities
- Own end-to-end daily flight test campaign execution as Remote Pilot in Command for Zipline autonomous aircraft, including mission profiles, feature tests, and fault-injection tests.
- Validate functionality using repeatable ground and flight test procedures.
- Troubleshoot and repair software and hardware issues onsite to return aircraft to flight.
- Summarize test results with qualitative and quantitative analysis, comparing aircraft performance against expected outcomes provided by engineering.
- Escalate flight performance anomalies to engineering and safety, and drive discussion toward resolution.
- Enforce and improve site safety by managing risks for prototype flights, conducting briefings and debriefings, and refining standard operating procedures to reduce repeat failures.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Education Level
No Education Listed
