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Automation Engineer, Production Equipment

Zipline · South San Francisco, CA

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Level
Engineer
Team
Controls
Base pay
$140k–$160k
Degree
Required (or equivalent experience)
Experience asked
2+ years
Industry
Aerospace & defense
Posted
Yesterday

The role in 30 seconds

An engineer-level controls role at Zipline (aerospace & defense) in South San Francisco, CA. Production Equipment based at Coop, Zipline’s South San Francisco manufacturing site, you will select, integrate, deploy, and sustain production automation for aircraft assembly, battery integration, dock components, and flight-critical subsystems.

They ask for
2+ years · degree required (or equivalent experience)
Tools it names
GD&T, Automation, Tooling, SolidWorks, CATIA / NX
Base pay
$140k–$160k

Read from the posting. The full description is below.

From the plant jobs report · week of October 26, 2026

Controls Engineer roles in California: typical posted base $124k–$178k. This one lists $140k–$160k.

Median of the low and high ends of 57 live postings that list pay, out of 114 controls engineer 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 113 other live controls postings in California.

Base pay
In line with similar roles

Typical $123k–$178k, from 54 postings that list pay.

Experience asked
Less than usual (2+ vs 5+)

Similar roles usually ask 5+ years.

Skills these teams ask for most

  • ✓ Automation 72%
  • PLC 46%
  • Robotics 43%
  • Python 34%
  • Validation (IQ/OQ/PQ) 34%
  • Root cause 21%

✓ = this posting asks for it too. % = share of similar postings that mention it.

Stands out: this posting asks for GD&T, SolidWorks, which few similar roles mention. If you have it, lead with it.

It asks for 2+ years. If you're close, apply anyway: requirements are a wish list. Talk to someone doing this work there first.

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. 1

    Pick 2–3 people on the Controls team at Zipline

    Engineers who joined in the last year or two reply the most. Use the team search on this page to find them.

  2. 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.

  3. 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. 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. 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

32 other open roles at this site.

All 33 roles at Zipline →
Full description from ZiplineAs posted on their careers site.Show

About You & the Role

Zipline’s Manufacturing Engineering team delivers the production systems that turn autonomous delivery aircraft and their subsystems into reliable, repeatable products at scale. As an Automation Engineer, Production Equipment based at Coop, Zipline’s South San Francisco manufacturing site, you will select, integrate, deploy, and sustain production automation for aircraft assembly, battery integration, dock components, and flight-critical subsystems. You will translate cycle-time, labor, quality, uptime, and maintainability needs into practical equipment requirements, coordinate internal and vendor builds, and bring systems into stable production through acceptance, commissioning, operator training, and continuous improvement.

This is a hands-on individual-contributor role, with direct ownership of equipment design, build, commissioning, and improvement on the factory floor. Your work determines throughput, first-pass yield, assembly cycle time, and maintenance uptime for production lines that supply field operations and live delivery fleets; mistakes affect fleet readiness and safety-critical performance.

This role is site‑based at the specified South San Francisco manufacturing facility; expect regular on‑site presence during standard manufacturing shifts, availability for occasional off‑hours commissioning, and up to 15% travel to vendor or field sites.

requirements

through vendor fabrication, build, commissioning, and production release; work with mechanical and controls partners on CAD (Siemens NX), detailed drawings, and equipment interfaces.

  • ✓Deliver measurable improvements: increase tooling availability above 95%, reduce manual assembly cycle time by 20–40% per station, and improve first-pass yield (FPY) on targeted assemblies by at least 10% within the first 6–12 months of deployment.
  • ✓Integrate and install automation incorporating alignment fixtures, press and torque tooling, ergonomic operator stations, poka‑yoke devices, handling/transport fixtures, and automated end-of-line test rigs tied to build and test specs for aircraft, battery packs, and docks.
  • ✓Perform on-line debugging and rapid root‑cause analysis during launches and ramp phases; be prepared to run weekend or evening commissioning efforts during critical releases.
  • ✓Develop and apply tooling design standards, GD&T practices, tolerance stacks, and material/process selections that meet safety and maintainability

requirements

for autonomous hardware.

  • ✓Coordinate cross-functionally with Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Test Engineering, and Field Operations to align tooling scope, test requirements, and production schedules.
  • ✓Work directly with fabricators and vendors: write technical RFQs, evaluate proposals, verify vendor QC, and perform acceptance testing at build and after installation.
Show full description ↓

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 Do

  • •Evaluate automation opportunities against manual work content, cycle time, first-pass yield, uptime, and maintainability, and translate the chosen approach into equipment requirements.
  • •Integrate automation into existing assembly workflows, verify vendor-built systems against acceptance criteria, and train operators during production deployment and scale-up.
  • •Own the integration and deployment of production automation from

What You’ll Bring

  • •2+ years designing production equipment, fixtures, or custom automation in a high-volume or fast-ramping manufacturing environment.
  • •Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
  • •Demonstrated mastery of GD&T, tolerance analysis, mechanism design, material selection, and failure‑mode thinking for assembly tooling.
  • •Proficiency in 3D CAD; Siemens NX preferred (SolidWorks/Creo experience acceptable with strong NX learning intent).
  • •Hands-on experience commissioning equipment on the factory floor: supporting fabrication, build, debug, test, and operator training; comfortable spending most of your week on-site.
  • •Practical knowledge of pneumatics, actuators, sensors, linear motion, machine guarding, and industrial electrical interfaces used in tooling and small automation.
  • •Track record delivering quantitative outcomes (cycle time, uptime, FPY, cost per unit) and making trade-offs between throughput, reliability, and maintainability.
  • •Ability to coordinate vendor builds and perform acceptance testing to tech

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