Technical Program Manager- Droid (Structures & Mechanisms)

About You and the Role

The droid is the delivery container at the heart of our delivery system. It's what detaches from the aircraft on a tether, descends 300 feet, and places your order on a driveway. It is also the part of Zipline that our customers actually see, hold, and interact with, which makes it one of the most demanding products we build. Every droid has to be beautiful, cheap, quiet, weatherproof, thermally stable, and reliable for tens of thousands of flight cycles - all at once.

We're designing EV3, the next generation of the droid. Between now and the day it enters full-rate production, the droid team will define an architecture, design and prototype dozens of subsystems, qualify a supply chain across three continents, build life-test and ground-test infrastructure, and ramp production from prototypes to thousands of units per week. As the Technical Program Manager for the droid, you will own the schedule, the coordination, and the execution rigor that makes all of that happen on time.

This role sits at the intersection of product definition, systems engineering, and execution. You will work across mechanical, electrical, firmware, thermal, industrial design, test, and manufacturing engineering to guide system-level decisions, resolve technical risks, and ensure that designs translate successfully into real hardware - first in prototypes, then in production, then in the field.

If you enjoy being close to the hardware and on the front lines of execution, working alongside engineers, technicians, and operations teams to bring complex electromechanical systems to life, this role will be a great fit.

We value people who take ownership of outcomes, not just responsibilities; you'll be identifying problems early, driving decisions, and ensuring work gets completed even when challenges fall outside traditional role boundaries.

On any given week, you might facilitate a cross-team architecture review, coordinate a prototype build, unblock a mold tool release with a supplier, or work with test and manufacturing engineers to ensure a new subsystem installs and validates cleanly on the line.

What You'll Do

• Drive the EV3 droid program from architecture through prototypes, qualification, and full-rate production, aligning a small, deeply cross-disciplinary hardware team around clear priorities and execution plans
• Own the master schedule for the droid: identify the critical path, negotiate credible timelines with engineering leads, and communicate risk honestly and early
• Work across mechanical, electrical, firmware, thermal, industrial design, test, and manufacturing domains to guide system-level decisions and ensure designs translate successfully into real-world builds
• Coordinate prototype builds, first-article inspections, tooling releases, and production ramps, ensuring engineering, supply chain, and manufacturing are prepared to execute and capturing lessons learned to improve future programs
• Identify and resolve technical, operational, and organizational bottlenecks that slow the team down, proactively addressing the areas where progress is most at risk
• Facilitate technical discussions, design reviews, and trade studies that help engineering teams converge on effective solutions and clear decisions
• Partner closely with our suppliers and manufacturing partners across China, Malaysia, Japan, Italy, Germany, Vietnam, and the US to ensure droid designs translate into reliable, repeatable production
• Develop lightweight tools, documentation, and operational processes (decision logs, build playbooks, change-control workflows) that help engineering teams move faster and operate with clarity
• Create dashboards to identify failure modes, identify outlying hardware and learn more about what works and what doesn’t in the field
• Drive clear communication of program status, risks, and decisions across engineering, operations, and leadership stakeholders
• Work closely with our test engineers on the development and use of ground test equipment, both our standard test assets (thermal chambers, FvD machines, etc.) and custom-designed hardware (cyclic testers, system level testers, etc.)

What You'll Bring

• 2+ years of experience in technical program management or in a hardware engineering, systems engineering, manufacturing, or technical operations role involving complex hardware systems
• Experience working on complex electromechanical hardware systems in fields such as drones, robotics, aerospace, automotive, medical device, or consumer electronics
• Strong systems thinking and the ability to dive into unfamiliar technical domains to understand tradeoffs, guide decisions, and unblock teams
• A highly execution-oriented mindset - you take ownership of outcomes, follow through relentlessly, and ensure important details don't fall through the cracks
• Demonstrated ability to coordinate cross-functional engineering teams and drive complex technical programs forward in fast-paced and ambiguous environments
• Experience improving team effectiveness through documentation, decision tracking, or process improvements that reduce friction for engineering teams
• Strong facilitation and communication skills, with the ability to guide technical discussions and align teams with different perspectives
• A collaborative and relationship-driven approach to problem solving, with the ability to build trust across engineering, operations, suppliers, and external partners
• Enthusiasm for working closely with engineers, technicians, and manufacturing teams, and being actively involved in bringing complex hardware systems to life
• Must be eligible to work in the US
• Must be able to work in person at Zipline's South San Francisco office

Bonus points for any of the following:

• Prior experience carrying a complex hardware program through NPI and into full-rate production at a contract manufacturer
• Familiarity with production technologies used on the droid: injection molding, thermoplastic and thermoset composites, EPP foam molding, stamping, CNC machining, and custom PCB and flex production
• Experience managing schedules across multiple international suppliers and time zones
• Prior technical background (BS or MS in a relevant engineering discipline) sufficient to read a drawing, understand a schematic, and hold your own in a technical review

What Else You Need to Know

The starting cash range for this role is $140,000 – $180,000 depending on experience. This is a target starting range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications; the final cash offer will depend on experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role also includes equity compensation and benefits (medical, dental, vision, PTO, and more).

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, military or veteran status, citizenship, or other characteristics protected by state, federal, or local law.

We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but aren't sure you're the perfect fit - please apply anyway.