Senior Mechanical Test Engineer, SMI
Core
Design, build, and maintain cradle-to-grave test systems to validate Zipline autonomous drone hardware (flight, ground, powertrain) and prove reliability metrics in extreme environments.
Role type
Senior Mechanical Test Engineer (Aerospace/Hardware)
Builds
Custom mechanical test rigs and validation systems for autonomous delivery drones
Domain
Aerospace logistics / Autonomous drone systems / Hardware testing
Required skills
Mechanical engineering fundamentals, cross-functional team management, system design for user experience, requirements generation, test system architecture, edge case analysis, technical mentorship
Preferred skills
Experience with scrappy vs. robust solution trade-offs, ability to pivot in uncertain regulatory environments
Technologies
N/A
Responsibilities
Generate test system requirements with product and reliability teams; define product edge cases based on field data and logs; design, build, and maintain critical test systems; manage test systems for early-stage designs; provide technical guidance to junior engineers and technicians
Seniority
Senior, hands-on IC
