
Production Technician
Zipline · South San Francisco, CA
- Level
- Technician
- Team
- Production
- Experience asked
- 4+ years
- Industry
- Aerospace & defense
- Posted
- 30+ days ago
The role in 30 seconds
A technician-level production role at Zipline (aerospace & defense) in South San Francisco, CA. Zipline’s Production Team is hiring a Production Technician to own assigned production work from start to finish.
- They ask for
- 4+ years
- Tools it names
- 5S, Root cause, Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ), Tooling, MES, EHS / safety
Read from the posting. The full description is below.
From the plant jobs report · week of October 19, 2026
Manufacturing Technician roles in California: typical posted base $56k–$78k.
Median of the low and high ends of 10 live postings that list pay, out of 118 manufacturing technician openings in California, read from manufacturers' own careers sites.
California plant jobs report →Pay by team and state →What moves pay →
How this role compares
Against 52 other live production postings in California.
- Base pay
- Not listed in this posting
- Experience asked
- More than usual (4+ vs 3+)
Typical $76k–$95k, from 17 postings that list pay.
Similar roles usually ask 3+ years.
Skills these teams ask for most
- Team leadership 72%
- Lean 55%
- ✓ 5S 28%
- ✓ EHS / safety 26%
- ✓ Root cause 25%
- ✓ Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 21%
✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.
At a glance
Pulled from the posting text. If it's not listed here, the posting didn't say.
How to get in at this plant
Five moves over a week or two. The first one takes ten minutes.
- 1
Pick 2–3 people on the Production team at Zipline
We found 3 people at this company and state: 3 in this kind of role. Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. See them ↓
- 2
Send a short, curious note
One real question about their work. No favors yet. Each person gets a different note, written for this role.
Write to Kelly → (free) - 3
Turn a reply into a short call
Questions worth asking about this team:
- What does a normal week look like on your team?
- How did you land the job? What stood out in your interviews?
- 4
Apply with someone vouching for you
If the call went well, ask whether they’d pass your résumé to the hiring manager. Send your résumé link, apply that day, and let them know.
- 5
Bring proof to the interview
One page of before-and-after numbers from projects you led: scrap, OEE, cycle time, cost. Plant managers hire on results.
This plant: Zipline in South San Francisco
25 other open roles at this site · 3 people we found in production roles at Zipline.
- Supplier Quality Engineer · Quality
- Mechanical Engineering Manager · Reliability · Manager
- Senior Manufacturing Engineer · Manufacturing · Senior
- Marketplace Strategy & Operations Manager · Production · Manager
- Engineering Technician, Powertrain · Manufacturing
- Solder Engineering Technician, Powertrain · Manufacturing
Full description from ZiplineAs posted on their careers site.ShowHide
About You and The Role
Zipline’s Production Team is hiring a Production Technician to own assigned production work from start to finish. This role is responsible for completing mechanical, electrical, and electro-mechanical assembly and testing while meeting production schedules and maintaining high quality standards. The Production Technician is accountable for ensuring assigned work is completed correctly, documenting progress, identifying and escalating blockers, and partnering with cross-functional teams to resolve issues. They will execute builds using approved work instructions and manufacturing processes, provide feedback when documentation or processes need improvement, and follow all safety and operating procedures. The ideal candidate is a hands-on problem solver with strong attention to detail, craftsmanship, and the ability to work safely with electromechanical systems. This role is critical to supporting reliable, scalable production for Zipline’s distribution centers around the world.
Work Schedule
The standard schedule is Monday–Friday; hours may vary based on production demand, build schedules, prototype activity, and business needs. Flexibility to adjust work hours and support occasional overtime may be required, including weekend work or other schedule adjustments.
What You'll Do
- ◆Own assigned production work from start to finish, ensuring assemblies and tests are completed on schedule, meet quality, safety, and manufacturing standards, pass required inspections, and are properly documented. Identify and escalate blockers, then follow through until the work is complete.
- ◆Assemble mechanical, electrical, and electro-mechanical systems using approved manufacturing process instructions (MPIs) and specifications, while providing feedback when documentation or processes need clarification or improvement.
- ◆Support production changes, prototype builds, and validation activities by quickly learning new processes, adapting to changing requirements, and providing accurate manufacturing feedback.
- ◆Maintain a clean, organized, and safe work environment by following 5S principles, properly storing, labeling, and accounting for tools, fixtures, gauges, materials, and equipment, and ensuring assigned tools are safely operated, maintained, and calibrated.
- ◆Manage changing production priorities across multiple lines and manufacturing cells by understanding production demand, build schedules, material availability, configuration changes, deviations, and business needs.
- ◆Complete MES transactions and maintain accurate production records, including work-order completion, material consumption, serial-number traceability, issue documentation, product genealogy, and manufacturing data.
- ◆Generate issue tickets, document manufacturing concerns, identify root causes, and participate in corrective actions and continuous improvement efforts through resolution.
- ◆Communicate production status, risks, blockers, material constraints, quality concerns, improvement opportunities and collaboration with Production Leadership and cross-functional teams.
- ◆Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and assembly issues and perform rework, repairs, and validation activities while understanding product functionality and system interactions.
- ◆Support production readiness by assisting with material movement, line staging, workstation setup, and verifying that tools, fixtures, consumables, documentation, and components are available. Maintain inventory accuracy by identifying shortages, damaged materials, and incorrect part configurations and communicating findings to Production Leadership and Materials teams.
- ◆Train and mentor Production Technicians by developing standardized work, assisting with certification activities, and executing training plans for new assemblies and processes.
- ◆Support the full production flow from assembly through customer shipment by completing production-support activities such as packaging finished products, moving materials and assemblies, supporting Engineering with testing, and preparing production areas as needed.
- ◆Work may include handling carbon-fiber composites and industrial-grade adhesives, along with other manufacturing chemicals. Employees must follow applicable work instructions, Safety Data Sheets (SDS), PPE requirements, ventilation controls, and EHS procedures.
Show full description ↓Show less ↑
About Zipline
Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products.
Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.
Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.
We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.
What You'll Bring
- •Hi
