Test Engineering Manager - Powertrain (Multiple… at Zipline · South…

About Zipline

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products.

Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.

Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.

We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.

ABOUT YOU AND THE ROLE

We are seeking two Hardware Test Engineering Manager roles to lead the strategy, development, and execution of hardware validation and test activities across the product lifecycle. These roles require hands-on technical expertise and people leadership, ensuring high-quality, reliable hardware products delivered on schedule. The two roles within Powertrain team are:

• Energy and Power: batteries, cells, charging, power distribution, energy safety
• Electric Drivetrain: electric propulsion, motors, propellers, electromechanical systems.

You will be responsible for leading a team of multidisciplinary engineers, developing world-class test methods, equipment, and execution of hardware testing. This role is for the full lifecycle of hardware development, from performance testing to find the limits of the hardware, system-level performance tests, durability and environmental survivability, and the development of automated hardware testing for production line applications.

You will act as a player-coach who has an area of expertise in either batteries or electric propulsion, and is comfortable providing strategic vision as well as being in the weeds of the team's designs, builds, analysis and reviews. You will help Zipline evolve its hardware testing philosophy and capacity, and grow the team in the process. The success of this team is vital to the success of Zipline overall.

This effort will enable Zipline’s impact to expand from 100’s of thousand deliveries/year to 100’s of millions in a wide variety of environmental conditions around the world.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Lead a team of test engineers and specialists responsible for powertrain testing.
• This group is responsible for:
  • Demonstrating the ultimate capability of powertrain hardware, including batteries, cells, power distribution units, electric propulsion units, and electromechanical actuators.
  • Contributing to the overall intuition of the engineering team through close involvement in design reviews, prototyping, and testing of components and assemblies.
  • Designing, building, operating, purchasing and maintaining test equipment.
• Developing strategies and test campaigns to efficiently evaluate function, reliability and safety of critical components and assemblies.
• Developing calculations for damage and fatigue to replicate flight conditions in ground-based test methods.
• Root causing failures alongside design engineers and working to create elegant solutions.
• Recreate system-level effects including off-nominal scenarios and safety tests.
• Raise the bar for the existing team by creating a vision for the future of the team based on company goals, and implementing strategies to achieve outcomes.
• Develop laboratory grade test setups for either of:
  • Battery Testing including safety testing and thermal runaway testing
  • Cell Testing for cell cycle life and performance optimization
  • Motor Testing including dynamometer development and motor characterization
  • Propeller Testing including aerodynamic characterization
• Scope out areas where growth is needed and make key hires that revolutionize the quality and pace of work

To Achieve This You Will

• Leverage your technical leadership experience in relevant fields to establish a team culture that biases towards action and tests ideas to achieve radically simple and reliable designs.
• Motivate your team with a clear vision and create ambitious plans for your team’s work while holding a high bar for technical quality
• Build your team by hiring world class engineers

What You'll Bring

• Past success leading engineering teams to rapidly develop first of its kind hardware and deploy into the field with the level of rigor that a high volume or safety critical application requires.
• Deep technical depth in test hardware design and interfacing with software and automation, structures, mechanisms, and how to rapidly and effectively test for performance, capability, and reliability
• Enthusiasm for building a team - finding and convincing top talent to join you in your work.
• Past success managing and developing an excellent team of engineers.
• Past success bringing products through the full product development life cycle

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master's degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
• 10+ years of experience in hardware test, validation, or reliability engineering
• 3+ years of people management or technical leadership experience
• Strong understanding of hardware design, electronics, and system-level testing.
• Strong understanding of fatigue analysis, damage models, material properties.
• Strong understanding of test acceleration methods and principles
• Expertise in either:
  • Battery and cell testing, especially for mass sensitive applications
  • Motors and Electro-magnetics
  • Propeller and Aerodynamics
• Familiarity with scripting, automation tools, and the automation of data analysis (Python preferred)

What Else You Need to Know The starting cash range for this role is $145,000 – $225,000. Please note that these are starting salary ranges that represent multiple internal levels. The final cash pay will depend on experience, qualifications, skills, location, and projected impact. Total compensation will also include equity, incentives, and benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply.

Please note that this role is based in South San Francisco; a remote option is not available.