Test Maintenance Engineering Lead, Zipline
$150-216k
3-5 days a week in office (Esparto, CA)
Transforming the way goods move
Be an early applicant
Transforming the way goods move
1001+ employees
Be an early applicant
$150-216k
3-5 days a week in office (Esparto, CA)
1001+ employees
Company mission
To build the world's first logistics system that serves all people equally.
Role
Who you are
- Extensive Industry Experience: 10-15+ years of progressive technical experience in aviation maintenance, test engineering, hardware operations, or aerospace manufacturing
- Senior Leadership & Scale: 5-8+ years of direct people management experience. You have a proven track record of designing organizational structures and scaling distributed teams of technicians across multiple states and sites
- Hands-on Technical Prowess: You possess the technical depth to troubleshoot and execute maintenance tasks firsthand. An Airframe & Powerplant (A&P) license, equivalent military aviation experience, or an aerospace engineering degree combined with hands-on mechanical experience is highly preferred
- Process & Quality Obsession: Deep expertise in root cause analysis, defect containment, and process engineering. You have a history of building systems that definitively prevent downstream operational escapes
- Cross-Functional Professionalism: Exceptional communication skills with the ability to navigate complex organizational dynamics, build consensus, and interface professionally with both highly technical engineering teams and commercial leaders
- Humble Mindset: An ego-free approach to leadership. You are as comfortable turning a wrench on the shop floor as you are presenting strategic organizational plans to the executive team
- We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!
What the job involves
- We are searching for an exceptional Test Maintenance Engineering Lead (Senior Manager/Director level) to build and oversee an elite, multi-state organization of maintenance technicians
- In this highly critical role, you will be the linchpin between our hardware testing environments and our commercial operations
- You are, fundamentally, a strong people manager and a hands-on technical leade
- You will define the correct managerial structure for a distributed workforce while remaining perfectly willing and capable of leading from the front—performing any task you ask of your technicians
- Grounded in humility and professionalism, you will drive a culture of extreme accountability and rigorous standards representative of the highest echelons of aircraft maintenance
- Your ultimate mission is to safeguard our commercial success: your team must proactively catch, escalate, and resolve technical and systematic challenges so that no process or quality gaps ever make it to the commercial organization, requiring them to ask for clarification or rework. To do this you will partner closely with engineering teams across all disciplines
- Build & Scale the Organization: Design the correct managerial hierarchy, hire, and build a world-class maintenance engineering organization composed of skilled technicians across multiple states and sites. Set crystal-clear expectations and drive accountability at every level
- Lead from the Front: Act as a hands-on technical leader. You must be highly capable and willing to jump in and perform any task that is asked of your technicians, leading by example with deep technical competence
- Drive Aviation-Grade Standards: Hold yourself and your entire team to the absolute highest standard, representative of rigorous aircraft maintenance. Instill a culture of safety, precision, and unwavering quality without sacrificing speed and agility
- Safeguard Commercial Success: Drive the team to proactively catch, escalate, and help resolve various technical and systematic challenges before they move downstream. Your success is directly determined by preventing process and quality gaps from making it to the commercial organization. Doing this will be dependent on you and every member of your team understanding deeply the operating reality of the product outside of the test environment
- Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Work seamlessly across Engineering, Quality, Operations, and Commercial teams with the utmost professionalism, bridging the gap between testing phases and real-world commercial deployment. You will partner with, and hold accountable, these teams to ensure success is earned
- Lead with Humility: Foster a humble, ego-free team culture centered on continuous improvement, active listening, and dedicated support for your technicians on the ground
Our take
Zipline is reinventing how the world moves goods - one flight at a time. What started as a bold idea to deliver life-saving medical supplies by drones has grown into the world's first logistics network designed to serve everyone, everywhere. From rushing blood and vaccines to remote clinics, to dropping off everyday essentials for Walmart customers, Zipline's autonomous drones are proving that fast, reliable delivery doesn't have to be limited by roads or geography.
Zipline has an edge over potential future competitors, as the company has thousands of hours and over 35 million miles of flight to prove the system is safe and effective. It’s also one of the first companies to receive a full commercial operating certificate, putting Zipline in a strong position to continuously branch out to other markets.
The unicorn company operates globally and has signed its first government contract with Rwanda to provide up to 2 million drone deliveries by 2029. Beyond government partnerships, Zipline has its sights set on everyday consumers, preparing to launch commercial deliveries straight to individuals' houses. With its Walmart collaboration expanding and even Chipotle orders taking to the skies in Texas, Zipline isn't just redefining delivery - it's aiming to reach every corner of commerce, with a future that looks as bright as its ambitions.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
34% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 12 rounds)
Mar 2026
$200m
SERIES H
Jan 2026
$600m
SERIES H
Total funding: $2.1bn
Company HQ
South San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton
(Co-Founder & CEO)Having studied Economics and Biotechnology at Harvard, they worked for almost 11 months as a self-employed rock climber. They combined their academic and practical experience to co-found Zipline in July 2011.
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