Quality & Manufacturing Intern (Summer 2027)

Zipline•South San Francisco, CA

17h•Onsite

About The Position

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service, aiming to serve all humans equally by providing access to essential goods. They design, build, and operate an autonomous logistics system, making millions of deliveries globally. Zipline operates on four continents, with a delivery occurring every 30 seconds. Their system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and saves people time. With over 140 million autonomous miles flown, Zipline is transforming access to healthcare, consumer products, and food worldwide. The company seeks practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth, motivated by building systems with a meaningful impact and scaling the future of logistics. They value individuals who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can achieve the impossible at record speeds. The Quality and Manufacturing team at Zipline is crucial for delivering safe, reliable, and scalable products. This team comprises Advanced Manufacturing Engineering (AME) and Manufacturing Quality Engineering (MQE). Together, they ensure excellence throughout the product lifecycle, from design and prototyping to high-volume production and field performance. AME focuses on innovative, efficient, and scalable manufacturing processes, while MQE ensures product integrity and compliance through rigorous quality standards and continuous improvement. This team is vital for Zipline's global scaling, precise operations, and commitment to fast, reliable service. As an AME Intern, the focus will be on maintaining assembly lines and designing equipment for Zipline’s Top Level Assemblies (TLAs) manufactured at Zipline's Final Assembly and End of Line Testing. This involves collaboration with internal and external stakeholders on design for manufacturing and assembly, assembly process and equipment design, assembly line commissioning, validation, and continuous improvement to enhance operational efficiency. As an MQE Intern, the focus will be on the quality and reliability of Zipline’s in-house manufacturing. This includes tracking yield performance, conducting root cause analysis and implementing corrective actions for assembly and functional test failures, and contributing to a world-class manufacturing organization by implementing innovative processes to improve performance during manufacturing and in the field.

Requirements

Be a student pursuing a(n) graduate/ undergraduate degree in one of the following concentrations: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Statistics, Mathematics.
Must have at least completed the second year of your Undergraduate studies. Masters and PhD students are also eligible.
Proficiency in 3D CAD Software (NX preferred) & ability to read Engineering Drawings (with GD&T)
Understanding of traditional & non-traditional manufacturing processes (Machining, Injection Molding, Sheet Metal Stamping, 3D Printing, PCBA Manufacturing, Mechanical or Electromechanical Assembly, etc.)
Understanding of Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) & Production Part Approval Process (PPAP)
Understanding of Problem Solving Frameworks (8D, FTA, Pareto Analysis, etc.) & RCA/ CAPA Techniques used within these frameworks
Willingness to work in a super fast-paced environment that is in a constant state of evolution

Responsibilities

Assist Design for X conversation with internal & external stakeholders for Zipline TLAs and sub-assemblies.
Assist planning, budgeting, design, procurement, commissioning & validation of Assembly Lines and associated equipment at Zipline for Product Validation Builds and at Zipline TLA CMs for Mass Production.
Conduct time studies for the various assemblies and maintain the Manufacturing Capacity Model.
Develop & maintain Process Documentation (Manufacturing Process Flow, Process FMEA, Work Instructions, Setup Checklists, Training Plans, etc.) throughout the life of a program.
Design fixtures for assembly & inspection and propose automation strategies as needed for robust manufacturing.
Assist in training operators to run the assembly line and provide technical support for plant operations.
Support root cause analysis & corrective actions activities to troubleshoot production problems as they occur.
Establish & monitor KPIs of the assembly line performance such as first-pass yield, cost of poor quality, on-time delivery, etc. Generating & reviewing matrices regularly.
Assist in Continuous Improvement (CI) Projects that seek to improve the performance of the line, reducing cost & improving quality.
Assist in monitoring & improving manufacturing processes to ensure product quality meets company standards.
Assist in failure analysis and work with cross functional teams to implement corrective & preventive actions to eliminate the issue.
Support the continuous improvement activities on the production floor. Assisting validation of the existing & new process to ensure consistently producing quality parts.
Support RCA activities by applying tools like 8D, 5 Why, Fish bone to derive root cause of issues & drive corrective actions.
Develop and maintain quality documentation like control plans, work instructions, and FMEA to ensure compliance. Assist in training Quality operators to the quality standards and procedure.
Monitoring key quality metrics such as first-pass yield, deviation reporting & tracking, performing MRB review & dispositioning the material.