--- title: 'Visual Observer at Zipline' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/visual-observer-zipline-amarillo-v591b6be21ew' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-10-18' --- # Visual Observer at Zipline - **Company:** Zipline - **Location:** Amarillo, TX - **Posted:** 2026-09-14 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-10-18 - **Apply:** https://www.zipline.com/open-roles/7990631003?gh_jid=7990631003 ## Job description ## 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. ## About You and The Role The Flight Test Operations team at Zipline is growing, and we’re looking for individuals with sound judgment, excellent interpersonal skills, and exceptionally high standards.  Success requires a process-minded approach on every flight, safety-oriented attitude, flexibility, and enthusiasm for using cutting-edge technology to deliver goods and lifesaving medical supplies on 3 continents around the world (so far), 7 days a week. You will monitor assigned airspace and conditions around UAS flights, communicate hazards clearly to the Remote Pilot in Command (RPIC), and speak up when a flight condition requires attention, a pause, or escalation. Your judgment directly supports safe, disciplined flight execution. ## What You'll Do - Attend pre-operational briefings and complete required crew activities before assigned flights. - Monitor assigned airspace along flight routes before launch and throughout UAS testing, flight, and delivery phases. - Identify non-cooperative aircraft, hazardous weather, local fire events, and other conditions that could affect flight safety.  Initiate escalation and immediate mitigations per crew procedures and stop operations when required. - Call out safety concerns, request a pause when conditions warrant, and escalate unresolved hazards through the flight crew. - Maintain reliable observation, communication, and procedural discipline during assigned flight operations. - Maintain operational readiness for day, night, and weekend shifts; participate in recurrent training, competency checks, and any required regulatory training. ## What You'll Bring - Sound judgment, close attention to detail, and a process-minded approach to every flight. - Ability to follow flight procedures, retain situational awareness, and communicate observations accurately under operational conditions. - Ability to work independently in isolated conditions for extended periods while remaining attentive and communicative. - Availability for full-time shifts, including weekends, days and night shifts. - Clear interpersonal communication and the confidence to raise safety concerns directly. - Part 107 certification or prior drone, UAS, or aviation experience is preferred. What Else You Need To Know 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! Please Note We have received reports stating that certain individuals are reaching out to people under false pretenses, claiming to be Zipline employees, affiliates, agents, or representatives. They may seek to gain access to your personal information or to acquire money from you by offering fictitious employment opportunities or by claiming that they are contacting you on Zipline’s behalf. Genuine Zipline employees or representatives will never ask you for money or payment in exchange for employment opportunities or other related services. Any such offer of employment or any other service in exchange for fees that claims to be from us is deceitful and part of a fraud. If you believe you have been targeted by a fraudulent party, we ask that you immediately get in touch with us via email at security@flyzipline.com upon receiving a suspicious offer or claim. 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. ## About Zipline ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Zipline is an American robotics company that operates the world’s largest autonomous drone delivery service, transporting medical supplies, food, and retail goods across multiple continents. - **Entity Type**: Private (early-stage startup) - **Headquarters**: South San Francisco, California, United States - **Founded**: March 2014 - **Founders**: Keller Rinaudo Cliffton, Keenan Wyrobek, Ryan Oksenhorn, William Hetzler ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Logistics / Drone delivery - **Target customers**: B2B (healthcare systems, governments, retailers like Walmart and Chipotle) and B2C (home delivery via the Zipline app) - **Mission or purpose statement**: “Build the first logistics system that serves all people equally” – initially focused on saving lives by delivering blood and medicine to remote communities, now expanded to instant urban delivery. ## Products & Services - **Platform 1 (P1)**: Long-range, rural delivery drone. Carries up to 4 lbs, roundtrip range 120+ miles, cruise speed 60 mph. Uses parachute delivery. Designed for enterprise, government, and healthcare supply chains. - **Platform 2 (P2)**: Urban/suburban home delivery drone. Carries up to 8 lbs, service radius 10 miles (or 24 miles one way), cruise speed 70 mph. Delivers via a tether from up to 300 ft, allowing contactless drop-off. Launched in 2025 and used for food, retail, and health products. - **Zipping Points**: Modular ground stations that allow businesses to load orders onto drones without specialized equipment. - **FlightIQ**: Advanced onboard autonomy and perception suite for safe navigation and delivery. ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available - **Key Metric**: 2 million commercial deliveries completed (as of January 2026) and 130 million autonomous miles flown.[wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipline_(drone_delivery_company))[zipline-fact-sheet](https://www.zipline.com/about/zipline-fact-sheet) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not disclosed in available sources. Key partners include Walmart, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Crumbl, Blaze Pizza, Wendy’s, and many other restaurant brands. In healthcare, works with more than 5,000 hospitals and health centers. - **Growth Signals**: Expanded into urban home delivery in 2025 (P2) with service in Pea Ridge, Arkansas and 20+ communities in Dallas-Fort Worth. Obtained FAA authorization for beyond visual line of sight operations. Reports 56% decrease in maternal mortality and 66% decrease in missed malaria treatments in served regions.[zipline-fact-sheet](https://www.zipline.com/about/zipline-fact-sheet) ## Competitive Advantages - **Autonomous drone fleet**: One of the world’s largest commercial deployments of autonomous robots, with custom software running on Nvidia chips. - **FAA approval**: All operations and aircraft are FAA-approved, including pioneering use of Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM). - **Quieter than road vehicles**: Drones hover high and descend on a tether, generating noise lower than common neighborhood sounds. - **Extensive testing**: One of the largest aviation testing campaigns, with operations in rain, wind, and storms. - **Integrated logistics platform**: Beyond drones, Zipline provides warehousing, inventory management, cold chain storage, and fulfillment software. ## Strategic Focus - Scaling the Platform 2 urban delivery network across the U.S., particularly through partnerships with major retailers and restaurants. - Deepening healthcare impact by expanding into new countries and product categories (prescriptions, groceries, convenience items). - Continuing to reduce delivery times and environmental footprint (0 emissions per delivery, compared to automotive delivery). ## Why Work Here - **Culture values**: Ownership & Accountability, Direct Feedback & Communication, Continuous Improvement, Customer Obsession, Servant Leadership (as stated on careers page). Emphasis on “Make it matter” and mission-driven work.[careers](https://www.zipline.com/careers) - **Work environment**: Headquartered in South San Francisco with hardware and software teams. The company assembles its drones in America. Likely on-site given the hardware focus; remote/hybrid policy not explicitly stated. - **Impact**: Opportunity to work on life-saving technology (60,000+ lives saved) and shape the future of instant logistics. - **Engineering culture**: Build and iterate on autonomous systems, airspace deconfliction, and large-scale robotics deployments. ## Sources 1. [Zipline Careers](https://www.zipline.com/careers) 2. [Zipline Homepage](https://www.zipline.com/) 3. [About Zipline](https://www.zipline.com/about) 4. [Zipline Fact Sheet](https://www.zipline.com/about/zipline-fact-sheet) 5. [Wikipedia - Zipline](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zipline_(drone_delivery_company)) 6. [Greenhouse Careers Page](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/flyzipline) ## Other roles at Zipline - [Hardware Test Technician, Avionics](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-test-technician-avionics-zipline-south-san-francisco-p5cvzv7pwjqv) — South San Francisco, CA - [PLM & Configuration Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/plm-configuration-manager-zipline-south-san-francisco-pm2st8m7ej2v) — South San Francisco, CA - [Mobile Test Site Project Manager](https://feeny.ai/job/mobile-test-site-project-manager-zipline-esparto-eajf10eqkn5h) — Esparto, CA / Half Moon Bay, CA / South San Francisco, CA - [Senior Manufacturing Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manufacturing-engineer-zipline-south-san-francisco-e0phbz4e2rk4) — South San Francisco, CA - [Senior/Staff Electrical Engineer - Long Range Platform](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-electrical-engineer-long-range-platform-zipline-south-san-francisco-aj84gq64gvsh) — South San Francisco, CA - [Senior/Staff Electrical Engineer, Towers](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-electrical-engineer-towers-zipline-south-san-francisco-21pe6rqvm5ky) — South San Francisco, CA - [Senior/Staff Electrical Engineer, Dropbox](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-electrical-engineer-dropbox-zipline-south-san-francisco-h830ctztcqtc) — South San Francisco, CA - [Senior/Staff Electrical Engineer, Avionics](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-electrical-engineer-avionics-zipline-south-san-francisco-911tt0ycfrvx) — South San Francisco, CA - [Senior Power Electronics Engineer - Ground Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-power-electronics-engineer-ground-systems-zipline-south-san-francisco-37x2bvp3esqk) — South San Francisco, CA - [Senior/Staff Electrical Engineer, Ground Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-staff-electrical-engineer-ground-systems-zipline-south-san-francisco-ca3ct8d8pz0g) — South San Francisco, CA