Supplier Industrialization Engineer - Wire Harnessing
About the Role
Zipline needs Wire Harness and FPC/FFC assemblies that can be built consistently at scale and perform reliably in the field. As a Harness Supplier Industrialization Engineer, you will own the bridge between product design and supplier execution, from advanced development through mass-production qualification. You will partner with engineering teams and contract manufacturers to make designs manufacturable, qualify production processes, confirm capacity, and close supplier-driven quality issues. Your work will determine whether suppliers are ready to support reliable Zipline hardware deployments.
Responsibilities
- Provide design-for-manufacturing guidance for wire harness and FPC/FFC assemblies, partnering with engineering teams on assembly design rules.
- Lead supplier industrialization during new product introductions, owning critical-to-quality alignment from advanced development through mass-production qualification.
- Assess and recommend supplier readiness using PPAP evidence, quality-control processes, critical-to-quality requirements, and demonstrated production-line capacity.
- Audit supplier manufacturing processes onsite and drive improvements needed to meet Zipline expectations for quality, capacity, cost targets, responsiveness, and process efficiency.
- Own supplier-caused field-quality failures through containment, supplier corrective action requests, root-cause analysis, and verified corrective-action closure that prevents recurrence.
- Support supplier quotations as the manufacturing technical expert by evaluating process feasibility and informing manufacturing cost targets.
Requirements
- A degree in electrical, industrial, or mechanical engineering, or equivalent relevant experience.
- Experience leading new-product industrialization and project management across engineering teams and contract manufacturers.
- Strong working knowledge of wire harness and FPC/FFC assembly processes, including design rules for reliable production.
- Practical experience with PPAP and structured problem-solving tools, including RCCA, fishbone analysis, process mapping, and 5S.
- Direct experience improving supplier or contract-manufacturer quality, process capability, capacity, or production execution.
- Clear written and spoken English for communicating technical requirements, readiness risks, and corrective actions across internal teams and suppliers.
- Ability to travel internationally up to 30% to engage manufacturing partners, including occasional short-notice travel.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
- Paid time off.
- Discretionary annual or performance bonuses.
- Sales incentives.
- Equity compensation.
- Overtime pay.
Pay
The starting cash range for this role is $130,000 - $190,000. The final cash pay will depend on experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact.
Schedule
This is an in-person role based out of our South San Francisco HQ. Must be eligible to work in the US and travel globally 30-40% of the time as needed.