Service Engineer

Do you want to change the world? Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building, manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally, wherever they are. From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart, to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes, we are transforming the way things move for businesses, governments and consumers. The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Using robotics and autonomy, we are decarbonizing delivery, decreasing road congestion, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.

 

Join Zipline and help us to make good on our promise to build an equitable and more resilient global supply chain for billions of people.

About You and The Role  

Do you thrive in high-pressure environments where every minute counts and your decisions directly impact life-saving deliveries? The Service Engineering team sits at the critical nexus between operations and engineering, serving as the first line of technical support for our global fleet of aircraft, droids, and docks. When assets go down, customers can't receive essential supplies—there's no room for delay.

Our Service Engineers are the elite troubleshooters who ensure grounded assets return to service with maximum velocity and quality. You'll work in 24/7 shift operations, serving as the primary technical lead who coordinates cross-team resources, diagnoses complex technical issues, and maintains the operational tempo that keeps Zipline flying around the world.

This role operates under strict regulatory requirements (FAA Part 135) and demanding performance targets to minimize time to service restoration and maximizing first-time fix rates. You'll serve both Flight Test and Commercial Operations, making your work essential to every delivery we make.

What You'll Do  

As a Service Engineer, you'll lead technical response as the primary technical lead for grounded assets, coordinating cross-team resources and driving resolution with urgency and precision. Your systematic troubleshooting approach will use approved procedures and diagnostic tools to identify root causes and implement solutions for aircraft, droid, and dock systems. Working in 24/7 shift operations forms a core part of your responsibilities, including comprehensive handovers, on-call duties, and emergency response protocols to maintain continuous coverage.

You'll coordinate cross-team escalation to engineering support and maintenance teams, creating work orders and ensuring smooth handoffs when physical maintenance is required. Log analysis and diagnostics will become second nature as you identify patterns, troubleshoot complex technical issues, and generate reports that drive continuous improvement. Maintaining regulatory compliance with FAA Part 135 operations, CAMP requirements, and repairman certification standards ensures all documentation meets aviation industry standards.

Driving continuous improvement will be central to your role as you contribute to troubleshooting guides, identify automation opportunities, and provide feedback to design engineering on system improvements. You'll operate advanced tools including the Zipline ERP (Zerp) platform, Fleet Apps, incident.io, and Jira to track assets, manage incidents, and coordinate with global teams. Asset triage and prioritization will maximize operational impact, ensuring critical assets return to service first while managing multiple incidents simultaneously.

Documentation and tracking of all troubleshooting activities, resolutions, and lessons learned builds institutional knowledge and supports regulatory requirements.

What You'll Bring 

• Your technical background in mechanical, electrical, software, mechatronics, aerospace or systems engineering should demonstrate ability to quickly learn complex technical systems and troubleshoot under pressure. 
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience in systematic troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and technical documentation are essential.
• Operations or maintenance experience with complex systems in high-stakes environments where downtime has significant impact, will prepare you for this role. 
• Excellent communication and coordination skills with proven ability to lead technical response, coordinate cross-functional teams, and communicate effectively under pressure are crucial. 
• Data analysis capabilities with experience in log analysis, performance metrics, and basic scripting or SQL for troubleshooting and reporting will enhance your effectiveness. 
• A continuous improvement mindset with demonstrated ability to identify process improvements, contribute to documentation, and drive operational excellence aligns with our culture.
• Adaptability and resilience to thrive in a rapidly changing environment where procedures, tools, and priorities evolve frequently is essential. 
• Customer impact focus with understanding that your work directly affects life-saving deliveries and operational reliability drives everything we do.

Preferred Qualifications

• Technical writing skills with experience creating troubleshooting guides, procedures, and technical documentation support our documentation-driven culture.
• Multi-site operations experience supporting distributed teams and assets across multiple time zones matches our global operations.
• Automation and tooling experience with process improvement, script development, or system integration contributes to our continuous improvement efforts.

What Else You Need to Know   

This role requires working 24/7 shift operations including nights, weekends, and holidays as part of our continuous coverage model. You'll participate in on-call rotations and must be available for rapid response when critical assets are grounded.

The position operates under strict performance metrics and regulatory requirements. You'll work in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment where your decisions directly impact customer deliveries and operational safety.

Ability to sit (or stand at a standing desk) for long periods of time to review tickets, conduct analysis and coordinate solutions with engineers when needed. 

Travel may be required occasionally for training, certification, or site support activities (10%).