Supplier Industrialization Engineer (PCBA Expert)

About Zipline

Zipline's mission is to provide every human on Earth with instant access to vital medical supplies. We believe that where you live should never dictate whether you live. We are at the forefront of a logistics revolution, using autonomous aircraft to deliver just-in-time, life-saving medical supplies at national scale in several countries and expanding around the world. Are you interested in building a system that 500 million people will depend on with their lives?

About the Role

Do you have a passion for scaling groundbreaking hardware from prototype to mass production, while guaranteeing top-tier PCBA quality and dependability? Do you thrive in fast-paced, high-growth settings, specializing in supplier development, process optimization, and quality assurance?

Zipline is expanding its life-saving technology's reach from tens to hundreds of millions of people. To achieve this, we require a Supplier Industrialization Engineer (SIE) with extensive PCBA knowledge to spearhead supplier quality, development, and manufacturing excellence. You will play a crucial role in supplier selection, qualification, process control, and automation, collaborating closely with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Manufacturing teams.

This high-impact role will allow you to shape Zipline's supply ecosystem, enhance manufacturing processes, and elevate supplier quality through continuous improvement.

What You'll Do

Supplier Development & Selection

• Audit and qualify domestic and international PCBA suppliers to ensure they meet high quality, process maturity, and delivery reliability standards.
• Conduct detailed supplier capability assessments, evaluating manufacturing infrastructure, process controls, automation levels, and quality systems.
• Collaborate with Supply Chain and Engineering teams to define supplier selection criteria and execute sourcing strategies.
• Drive supplier onboarding, development, and risk mitigation strategies to ensure long-term quality and cost optimization.

Quality & Compliance

• Collaborate with the Quality team to establish robust vendor certification processes that ensure high-performance PCBAs.
• Implement quality controls at suppliers, pushing defect prevention upstream through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Deploy and monitor statistical quality control (SPC) methodologies, ensuring data-driven decision-making and process stability.
• Ensure compliance with IPC, ISO, and automotive/aerospace standards (e.g., IPC-A-600, IPC-A-610, J-STD-001, AS9100, IATF16949).
• Develop and implement pFMEA (Process Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) to proactively identify and mitigate risks in PCBA manufacturing.
• Lead Design of Experiments (DOE) and Gage R&R studies to validate process robustness, test equipment reliability, and measurement system accuracy.
• Use data analytics tools (JMP, Minitab, R, etc.) to analyze process trends, identify quality issues, and drive improvements.

Process Optimization & Manufacturing Readiness

• Take an active role in DFM/DFA, working alongside engineers to optimize PCBA designs for manufacturability while integrating supplier-specific DFM feedback into part and assembly designs.
• Collaborate with engineering to embed manufacturing best practices early in design.
• Work directly with suppliers to align designs with their capabilities, optimizing panelization, stencil design, soldering, AOI, and ICT.
• Develop process flow diagrams to identify bottlenecks and improve throughput and automation.
• Lead semi-automated and fully automated process development for assembly, soldering, and testing.
• Implement EOL test strategies and in-line process validation to ensure stable, repeatable quality.
• Drive cost reduction and quality at the source, minimizing inspections and improving first-pass yield.
• Identify and implement automation and process controls for scalable, cost-efficient PCBA manufacturing.

What You'll Bring

✅ 6 years of experience in Supplier Quality, Supplier Development, or Manufacturing Engineering, with a strong focus on PCB/PCBA manufacturing.

✅ Deep expertise in PCBA production processes, including SMT, through-hole soldering, reflow, AOI, ICT, and conformal coating.

✅ Experience working with CMs for PCB and PCBA assembly (FPC/FPCA is a plus).

✅ Knowledge of IPC and ISO standards (certification as internal auditor is a plus)

✅ Proven success in supplier audits, APQP, PPAP, PFMEA, SPC, and supplier selection & monitoring.

✅ Hands-on experience in root cause analysis & corrective actions (8D, 5-Whys, Pareto, Fishbone)

✅ Strong DFM experience for PCBAs, proficiency in Gerber viewers

✅ Ability to troubleshoot PCBA failures and work with suppliers to improve yield and defect reduction

✅ Understanding of GD&T

✅ Experience leading supplier process validation, including EOL testing and first article qualification.

✅ Strong experience with data analytics tools (JMP, Minitab, R, etc.) to drive process improvement.

✅ Success implementing automation/new tech with suppliers to improve efficiency and quality

✅ Success optimizing test and inspection strategies, including driving requirements for automated EOL testing

Why Join Zipline?

At Zipline, we're revolutionizing logistics and using advanced technology to deliver critical supplies globally. As a Supplier Industrialization Engineer specializing in PCBA, you will play a pivotal role in scaling our next-generation electronics with best-in-class quality and efficiency. If you're excited about pushing supplier development and manufacturing processes to the next level, we'd love to hear from you!

What else you need to know

This role is an in-person role, based out of our South San Francisco HQ. Must be eligible to work in the US and travel globally 50-60% of the time as needed. The starting cash range for this role is $130,000 - $190,000. 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.

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.

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!