Head of Flight Test Engineering

About the role

Zipline is seeking a Head of Flight Test Engineering to lead the strategy, execution, and evolution of our flight test program. This role involves leading a team responsible for flight test campaigns, automated test infrastructure, test data analysis, and ensuring flight testing delivers the highest-value learning before hardware and software are deployed or updated globally.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a high-performing Flight Test Engineering team responsible for system-level test strategy, campaign design, automation tooling, data analysis, and risk assessment.
• Own the technical strategy for validating new aircraft capabilities, software releases, hardware changes, delivery operations, docking and charging systems, fleet behavior, and operational concepts.
• Design and oversee comprehensive flight test campaigns for new features, products, metrics, and regression coverage across Zipline’s end-to-end logistics system.
• Increase the scope, rigor, and representativeness of flight test coverage while ensuring flight testing is used for the highest-value learning opportunities.
• Identify opportunities to move appropriate coverage from flight test to other modalities, including system simulation, software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and ground testing.
• Develop and integrate tools, software workflows, and automated infrastructure that improve flight test precision, insight, capacity, repeatability, utilization and velocity.
• Improve test data analytics, including correctness evaluation, metric development, anomaly detection, trend analysis, and automated reporting.
• Collaborate with engineering teams to define system-level objectives, success criteria, risk posture, and go/no-go decision frameworks.
• Assess hardware, software, and operational readiness for testing, and ensure sound decisions about safety, risk, and execution.
• Partner with Flight Test Operations to improve planning, execution processes, site readiness, incident response, operational scalability, and overall throughput.
• Support certification and regulatory efforts by ensuring campaigns generate the evidence needed for external approvals.
• Foster a strong safety culture across flight test engineering and operations, ensuring compliance with procedures, regulations, and internal standards.
• Help grow flight test capabilities in new geographies, environments, technologies, and test cases while maintaining the reliability of existing programs.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience designing, developing, validating, or testing complex autonomous, robotic, aerospace, aviation, or safety-critical systems; UAS experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading flight test, system test, validation, or field test engineering teams.
• Strong systems-level judgment, with the ability to balance risk and priorities across software, embedded systems, electrical systems, mechanical systems, controls, operations, and regulatory constraints.
• Experience designing and executing complex test campaigns from objective definition through planning, execution, analysis, and release recommendation.
• Experience building or integrating test automation, analytics tooling, data pipelines, or other scalable validation systems.
• Promised ability to improve coverage, increase efficiency, and determine the right validation modality for a given engineering question.
• Experience assessing hardware and software readiness and making sound go/no-go decisions in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
• Proven success leading cross-functional technical programs involving engineering, operations, manufacturing, regulatory, and product stakeholders.
• Experience operating where safety, speed, and engineering rigor must be carefully balanced.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical and operational tradeoffs to engineering teams, executives, operators, and regulatory partners.
• Proven ability to develop leaders, mentor engineers, set technical direction, and build durable team processes.
• Comfort working in field environments and partnering closely with operational teams conducting real-world testing.
• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally for flight testing, team leadership, and test site support.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Professional certifications in relevant fields, such as FAA Part 107, are a plus.

Skills

• Expertise in flight test methodologies and techniques.
• Knowledge of autonomous systems, robotics, and aerospace engineering principles.
• Experience with test automation, data analysis, and statistical methods.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and prioritize tasks effectively.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to collaborate across diverse teams.

Benefits

At Zipline, we offer a competitive total compensation package that includes:

• Target starting cash range of $180,000 - $260,000
• Discretionary annual or performance bonuses
• Sales incentives
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Paid time off
• Equity compensation
• Other benefits and perks

Pay

The starting cash range for this role is $180,000 - $260,000. The final cash payment for this role will depend on various factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact.

Schedule

This is an onsite role based out of our South San Francisco HQ and testing sites. You must be willing and able to do travel weekly between Northern California test sites and Zipline’s headquarters.

What Else You Need to Know

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!