Flight Operations Analyst Intern (Spring 2026)

About Zipline

Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building the first instant logistics system that serves all humans equally. Leveraging expertise in robotics and autonomy, Zipline designs, builds, and operates a fleet of cutting edge, autonomous delivery drones. We serve tens of millions of people around the world.

Joining Zipline’s Emerging Talent program as an intern is an opportunity to contribute to our promise of building a system that provides equitable access to critical healthcare supplies for millions of people. We believe that internships are more than just opportunities to learn by watching or doing low level tasks. We expect our interns to take on meaningful work that actively contributes to moving Zipline’s mission forward, while learning real-world skills that will serve them in their careers for the long term. 

Join us, and build the future of logistics with the best humans around!

About The Flight Operations Team

The flight operations team is responsible for safely operating Zipline’s UAS and ensuring a consistently incredible experience for our customers rain or shine, day or night. Our team consists of remote pilots, ground crew members, and instructors who help us maintain a high standard while scaling aggressively.  As we scale, we must continue to improve how we operate the system, which is largely driven by ongoing analysis of highly granular flight data and operational metrics.  

The Role

In this role, you will assist in documenting and analyzing the numerous processes that comprise flight operations. Establishing a deep understanding of these processes and why they exist is crucial to identifying which areas of the business to invest in evolving first.  This role will focus on data gathering, organization, and analysis, all of which will help tell the story of flight operations in its current state. Key areas of focus will include time studies for our existing operational processes like preflight, delivery, troubleshooting, and initial training of crews.  Your work will help program leaders drive new efficiency gains and surface hidden gaps or waste; a critical step in unlocking hyperscale in the coming years!

What You'Ll Do

• Establish a baseline understanding of how flight operations works via hands on learning at our control centers in San Francisco and Charlotte, North Carolina.
• Work with subject matter experts to establish a list of procedures and data points to track across the training and flight operations orgs.
• Organize our existing operational and compliance data dashboards. These dashboards are crucial for reporting and tracking performance both internally and with external parties like the FAA. 
• Track the frequency and length of events that occur in live operations. 
• Work cross functionally to document the impacts of the flight operations processes on other Zipline teams (e.g. maintenance and customer ops).
• Develop standardized reporting processes for key stakeholders to track continuous improvement in a more visible way.

What You'Ll Bring

• A detail-oriented, adaptable mindset that strives to find answers, create solutions, and uncover hidden gaps
• Experience gathering and organizing information from different data sources and formats
• Experience working cross functionally between teams to create a unified, coherent story with data - clear and prompt communication is a must!
• Ability to work in our South San Francisco office full-time, with 1-2 short trips to operational sites throughout duration of internship.
• Familiarity with Jira project management software (helpful, but not mandatory)
• Familiarity with FAA Part 107 and Part 135 regulations (helpful, but not mandatory)

What Else You Should Know

Our internships are full-time positions, in-person at our South San Francisco or Dallas office. We will host our Spring 2026 interns from January to April. 

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

The starting cash range for this internship is $32 - 36/ hour. 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, and working location. The total compensation package for each role may also include: a housing stipend; overtime pay; relocation support; paid sick time; 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!

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.