Strategic Operations Intern – Data & Tooling (Summer 2026)

Zipline • South San Francisco, CA

9d • $32 - $36 • Hybrid

About The Position

Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building the first instant logistics system that serves all humans equally. Leveraging expertise in robotics and autonomy, Zipline designs, builds, and operates a fleet of cutting edge, autonomous delivery drones. We serve tens of millions of people around the world. Joining Zipline’s Emerging Talent program as an intern is an opportunity to contribute to our promise of building a system that provides equitable access to critical healthcare supplies for millions of people. We believe that internships are more than just opportunities to learn by watching or doing low level tasks. We expect our interns to take on meaningful work that actively contributes to moving Zipline’s mission forward, while learning real-world skills that will serve them in their careers for the long term. Join us, and build the future of logistics with the best humans around! About the Strategic Operations Team The Strategic Operations team exists to drive clarity, speed, and scale across Platform 2. We are the operating system behind Platform 2 — breaking through blockers, building systems that last, and delivering measurable results. Without us, things stall; with us, things accelerate. As Zipline enters a period of hyper-scale, Strategic Operations is the backbone enabling this growth. We are a small, high-leverage team that sees around corners and builds the foundation for scale. This role will work closely with Business Operations, Data Platform, Application Software, and Site Operations to ensure the entire Operations organization has the data models, internal tools, and automation required to meet Zipline’s scaling ambitions. The Role As a Strategic Operations Intern – Data & Tooling, you will build the technical infrastructure that helps Zipline scale its drone delivery network. You’ll drive requirements for data models, automate operational workflows, and develop lightweight internal tools that give our teams clearer visibility and faster decision-making. This is a hybrid role at the intersection of software, data, and operations. You’ll work with real production data, partner with cross-functional teams, and build tools that directly influence how our delivery network grows and performs. If you love turning ambiguous operational problems into elegant technical systems, this role is for you.

Requirements

• Experience working with SQL and at least one programming language (Python strongly preferred).
• Exposure to data modeling , ETL, or analytics engineering concepts.
• Ability to translate operational needs into clean technical solutions—and iterate quickly as you gather feedback.
• Comfort working with messy, real-world data and ambiguity.
• Strong problem-solving skills and an inclination toward automation over manual work .
• Experience building small internal tools, scripts, or dashboards in past projects, coursework, or internships.
• Excitement for learning how software, data, and operations intersect in a real production environment.
• Currently pursuing a degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Data Science, or a related technical field .

Nice To Haves

• Experience with Snowflake, dbt, or similar pipeline tools
• Familiarity with web app frameworks (Flask, FastAPI, React)
• Previous exposure to operations, logistics, or robotics environments

Responsibilities

• Streamline and document core data models that support forecasting, operational performance measurement, and site-level decision-making - ensuring all the necessary data is accessible and well defined
• Develop internal tools and scripts (e.g., Python, SQL, web dashboards) that automate manual workflows and improve operational efficiency.
• Partner with Data Platform to productionize new pipelines or enhance existing ones to ensure data quality, reliability, and scalability.
• Work with Business Operations , Maintenance, and Site Ops to deeply understand operational pain points and translate them into technical requirements.
• Prototype and test new tooling solutions —everything from simplified UIs to backend automation to new analytical frameworks.
• Create dashboards and analytics artifacts (Mode, ThoughtSpot, Looker) to drive better visibility into fleet performance, throughput, and scaling constraints.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Intern
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees