Flight Test Operator - SkillBridge

Zipline•Esparto, CA

7d•Onsite

About The Position

The Zipline SkillBridge program provides transitioning service members the opportunity to gain work experience through an internship during their final 180 days of service. Zipline offers both structured instruction and on-the-job training through a 3-4 month internship. This role is only open to active-duty U.S. military service members who have been approved (or are eligible for approval) to participate in the DoW SkillBridge program. Applications from candidates who are not SkillBridge-eligible cannot be considered. You are a hands-on Flight Test Operator focused on bringing early-stage Zipline aircraft from prototype through production bring-up. You will execute, iterate, and sign off on flight operations that validate airworthiness, avionics/software integration, and field-deployable procedures that enable drone delivery at scale. You’ll work at Zipline’s test site(s) and coordinate closely with vehicle engineering, software, safety, manufacturing, and field operations to turn early stage flight software into reliable, release‑ready aircraft. This role matters because timely, rigorous flight validation reduces deployment risk, shortens product development cycles, and directly affects delivery reliability for our customers.

Requirements

FAA Part 107 certification (required at time of joining)
Experience piloting drones or manned aircraft
Demonstrated aeronautical decision making and accountability: experience owning go/no-go decisions, creating preflight checklists, and escalating safety incidents with clear documentation.
Operational intensity and logistics: Comfortable working in failure-heavy, iterative field environments where rapid diagnostics and repairs under time pressure are routine; able to lift and move 50+ lb equipment and work outdoors for multi-hour test windows.
Ownership and communication: Proven 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

Linux command-line comfort
rapid-prototyping skills (3D printing, basic machining)
experience with automated flight systems.

Responsibilities

Own end-to-end daily flight test campaign execution
Act as Remote Pilot in Command for Zipline’s Autonomous Aircraft - executing mission profiles, feature testing, and fault injection testing
Validate functionality through repeatable ground and flight test procedures
Troubleshoot and repair software and hardware issues on-site to return aircraft to flight
Summarize test results: provide qualitative and quantitative analysis on the performance of an aircraft as it completes its mission - comparing to a set of expected outcomes provided by engineering
Escalate flight performance anomalies to engineering and safety, driving discussion towards resolution
Enforce and improve site safety: manage risks for prototype flights, run briefings and debriefs, and refine SOPs to reduce repeat failures.