Camera Technical Lead at Zipline

Zipline is on a mission to transform global logistics by building the world’s first instant delivery system. We operate an autonomous aircraft network that provides equitable access to medical supplies and essential goods, and we are looking for an Executive Camera Technical Lead to join our team on a full-time, on-site basis to help us scale our vision hardware capabilities.

Responsibilities

• Act as the primary technical leader and focal point for all perception cameras within the organization.
• Oversee the full lifecycle of camera and optical hardware for the P2 platform, covering design, testing, integration, and mass-production scaling.
• Define and implement engineering best practices to build the foundation for our next-generation camera systems.
• Provide technical direction for requirements development and design execution while managing trade-offs across optical, mechanical, electrical, and ISP domains.
• Collaborate with contract manufacturing partners to manage build execution, calibration processes, and root-cause analysis.
• Lead failure analysis and corrective actions at manufacturing sites to ensure high yields and product reliability.
• Establish and maintain internal laboratory and testing capabilities.
• Manage the release of technical documentation and engineering drawings to support production builds.

Must-haves

• A Master’s degree or higher in Electrical Engineering, Optical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• Over 10 years of experience shipping camera hardware at scale, managing the process from initial concept through to mass production within a global supply chain.
• Deep expertise in core camera design principles developed over multiple product development cycles.
• Comprehensive knowledge of optics, image sensors, illumination, image signal processing, and system integration.
• Proven experience in requirement definition, camera characterization, and validation of optical systems.
• Extensive background in high-volume manufacturing, including assembly processes, line automation, and statistical data analysis.
• Experience managing international contract engineering and manufacturing partners.
• Fluency in English and the ability to travel up to 10% of the time to meet with partners.

Benefits

The starting cash salary range for this position is $180,000 to $225,000. Final compensation is determined based on your specific experience, skills, and qualifications. Our total rewards package may also include:

• Equity compensation.
• Discretionary annual or performance-based bonuses.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid time off.