Hardware Reliability Engineer

About the role

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine, and essential goods.

Responsibilities

• Own the reliability strategy for mission-critical mechanical subsystems or entire systems, applying Design-for-Reliability (DfR) and Physics-of-Failure (PoF) principles.
• Translate system reliability targets into design-level requirements, verification plans, and objective pass/fail criteria.
• Lead DFMEA efforts with cross-functional teams to identify early risks and drive mitigation.
• Develop Accelerated Life Testing (ALT) and environmental test campaigns to validate long-term hardware performance.
• Lead failure analysis and structured root cause investigations, from component to system-level.
• Define operational life limits and service intervals using a combination of test data, field returns, and statistical models.
• Advocate cross-functionally for reliability: maintain an appropriately high reliability bar based on risk assessment and stage of program.
• Improve Zipline’s reliability methods, tools, standards, and decision-making processes as the company scales.

Requirements

• B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Materials Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals and the ability to reason from first principles about hardware behavior and failure.
• Hands-on experience developing and validating safety-critical electromechanical systems through delivery to customers.
• Experience applying reliability methods such as DFMEA, accelerated-life testing, environmental testing, failure analysis, or life modeling.
• Strong technical communication skills, including the ability to explain complex technical issues clearly, synthesize ambiguous information into a coherent problem statement, write concise, decision-oriented technical documentation, and drive cross-functional alignment on reliability trade-offs and technical decisions around design, supply-chain, quality, manufacturing, finance, and operations.
• Demonstrated ownership and practical problem-solving ability, including driving technically complex issues through resolution.
• Able to learn quickly, independently develop new technical depth, and adapt as program needs evolve.

Qualifications

• Ability to learn quickly, independently develop new technical depth, and adapt as program needs evolve.

Skills

• Design-for-Reliability (DfR)
• Physics-of-Failure (PoF)
• Accelerated Life Testing (ALT)
• Environmental Testing
• Failure Analysis
• Root Cause Investigations
• Operational Life Limits
• Service Intervals
• Statistical Models
• Reliability Methods

Benefits

• Equal Opportunity Employer
• Comprehensive Benefits Package
• Flexible Work Schedule
• Professional Development Opportunities
• Work-Life Balance

Pay

Competitive salary commensurate with experience.

Schedule

Full-time, remote work.