Senior- RF Test Engineer

About the Role

The Avionics team is a group of hardware, software, and test experts responsible for designing robust systems that control our life‑saving drone delivery service in some of the toughest environments on Earth. Our team designs aircraft avionics that must excel in a wide range of harsh, real‑world climates and electromagnetic interference (EMI) environments. The Avionics system is a vital part of the overall zipline aircraft system architecture, where we strive to achieve high performance and reliability while minimizing mass and cost.

You and our team will be responsible for delivering high‑performance communication and navigation systems that are tightly integrated into the aircraft and flight computer. These radio systems are at the core of a new unmanned aerial system that will enable Zipline’s impact to expand from 100,000 deliveries per year to 100 million across the globe. Zipline’s future success depends on the development of avionics systems that are low mass, low cost, high reliability, and produced at high volumes.

Rigorous design engineering and validation is required, as well as ingenuity in approaches to packaging, integration, fault tolerance, and validation. We are looking for a test engineer with a strong foundation in RF fundamentals and prior experience with manufacturing test, design validation, system performance characterization, and certification.

• Own the design validation and test planning efforts for our RF products, including both design validation and manufacturing test.
• Develop a deep understanding of components under test and become a subject‑matter expert in the component’s behavior under a range of environmental, performance, and system conditions.
• Coordinate cross‑functional teams and external vendors to deploy high‑quality test plans and test systems in a timely manner to support production timelines.
• Drive end‑to‑end test campaigns from development through design validation, certification, and production (often working all facets simultaneously).
• Triage and root‑cause field failures, using data analysis, test heritage, correlation to operating conditions, and one‑off test campaigns.
• Support the certification testing to enable our aircraft to fly in the real world.

• 5+ years of experience in RF engineering roles, with manufacturing test, system performance testing, certification, and design validation experience.
• Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, with focus on RF Communications and Design.
• Past test engineering experience in sensors and electronics for critical systems in fields such as automotive, aerospace, transportation, or medical devices.
• Test asset design validation for RF products in high‑volume production environments.
• Experience with one or more of Wi‑Fi, Cell, GNSS, ADS‑B, UWB, Radar, or similar consumer electronics wireless protocols.
• Experience developing test plans, test requirements, test standards, and test criteria for hardware products and RF systems.
• Strong understanding of communication system fundamentals including linear systems, signal processing, and communication theory.
• Proficient in Python, Linux environments, and scripting languages such as Bash or Shell.
• Enthusiasm for collaborating in a fast‑paced, cross‑functional environment.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to explain technical challenges and solutions to fellow engineers and non‑engineers alike.
• Must be eligible to work in the United States.
• Must be able to work in person at Zipline’s South San Francisco office.

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 or our other policies.

The starting cash range for this role is $145,000 – $205,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate’s experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include equity compensation, overtime pay, discretionary annual or performance bonuses, sales incentives, benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, and more.

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 are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!