Head of Flight Test Engineering
Zipline · South San Francisco, California, USA
Posted about 3 months ago · $200,000-$260,000
or apply directly on Zipline 's site. We never take the application ourselves.
Is this posting real?
- This role has been open
- 88 days Zipline 's roles stay open a median of 86 days
- Reposted
- No
- Salary listed
- Yes 51% of Zipline 's roles list one
- Ghost-job risk at Zipline
- high 342 stale, 6 reposted of 342 open
- Hiring momentum
- 454 roles opened in the last 90 days ↑ up vs. the prior 90 days
- Last confirmed on the employer's board
- 2026-10-30
Measured from postings appearing on and disappearing from Zipline 's own greenhouse board since 2026-08-03. Full hiring picture for Zipline .
About this role
As the Head of Flight Test Engineering at Zipline, you will lead a team responsible for validating the readiness of autonomous delivery systems through rigorous flight test campaigns. Your role involves developing test strategies, overseeing automation and data practices, and ensuring compliance with safety regulations. You will collaborate with various engineering teams to define objectives and criteria for testing new aircraft capabilities and operational concepts.
- benefits
- 3/5
- freshness
- 1/5
- career value
- 4/5
- role clarity
- 5/5
- pay transparency
- 5/5
Scored from the posting itself — how clearly the role is described, how much it says about pay and benefits, and how recently it was listed. Not a judgement of Zipline as an employer.
What you need
- 5+ years designing, developing, validating, or testing complex autonomous, robotic, aerospace, aviation, or safety-critical systems; UAS experience is strongly preferred
- Experience leading flight test, system test, validation, or field test engineering teams while staying technically engaged
- Experience taking complex test campaigns from objective definition through planning, execution, analysis, and release recommendation
- Systems-level judgment across software, embedded, electrical, mechanical, controls, operations, and regulatory constraints
- Experience building or integrating test automation, analytics tooling, data pipelines, or scalable validation systems that improve coverage and efficiency
- Ability to lead cross-functional technical programs and communicate safety, risk, and engineering tradeoffs to engineers, operators, executives, and regulatory partners
What you get
- Starting cash range of $200,000-$280,000
- Equity compensation
- Discretionary annual or performance bonuses
- Sales incentives
- Medical, dental and vision insurance
- Paid time off
Worth weighing
- No specific mention of remote work or flexible hours
- The role involves significant travel for testing and leadership
- The position requires a strong balance of technical leadership and hands-on involvement
Summarised from Zipline 's posting. Read the full original.
Listed by Zipline on their greenhouse job board, last confirmed open on 2026-10-30. PitchMeAI is not the employer.
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