Field Systems Engineer Intern (Spring 2027)

Location: South San Francisco, California, USA Department: 2027 Internships

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.

The Avionics team builds and supports the electronics that help Zipline’s aircraft sense, compute, communicate, and fly reliably. Field Systems Engineering connects that design work with what happens across the operating fleet. We investigate failures, use flight data and hands-on testing to understand their causes, and work with engineers and operators to improve the product. Our work spans hardware, software, and day-to-day operations, so we learn directly from the people maintaining and flying the aircraft.

The Role

As a Field Systems Engineering intern, you’ll help solve real problems affecting Zipline’s aircraft in the field. You’ll work with flight data, test hardware, and collaborate with engineers and operations teams to understand how avionics systems perform outside the lab. You’ll have a mentor and a project you can own, with opportunities to present your findings and see how they inform engineering decisions.

What You'll Do

Investigate avionics issues using telemetry, logs, physical inspection, and bench tests.

Analyze fleet data to identify patterns in system performance and reliability.

Build or improve scripts, dashboards, or diagnostic tools that make issues easier to detect and understand.

Help design and run tests to check possible failure causes and proposed fixes.

Work with design engineers, technicians, and operators to learn how systems behave in practice.

Document your methods, results, and recommendations so others can act on them.

What You'll Bring

Currently pursuing a degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, aerospace engineering, robotics, computer science, or a related field.

Experience with hands-on technical projects involving hardware, software, or both.

Ability to analyze data or logs using Python, SQL, MATLAB, or a similar tool.

Curiosity about how complex systems fail and a methodical approach to finding answers.

Clear communication and willingness to learn from engineers, technicians, and operators.

Must be proficient and comfortable with using and building AI tools

Nice to Have

Experience using CAD software to design, modify, or inspect mechanical parts and assemblies.

Hands-on experience building, testing, and debugging a physical system, such as through Formula SAE, Baja SAE, a robotics team, research, or a personal project.

What Else You Should Know

This internship is a full-time position, in-person at our South San Francisco office. We will host our Spring 2027 interns from January to April. Zipline is unable to sponsor work visas for applicants to this position.

Additional benefits may include relocation support, a housing stipend, overtime pay, paid sick time, and other benefits, where applicable and subject to local requirements.

Candidates are limited to three (3) applications within a 30-day period.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.

Zipline is also committed to providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. Please let your point of contact at Zipline know if you require any accommodations throughout your interview process.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Zipline ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.