Material Flow Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

The Production Materials Manager leads Zipline's Production Materials organization, owning the strategy, people, processes, and systems that ensure the right material is available in the right quantity, at the right place, and at the right time to support manufacturing. The organization is responsible for every movement of production material after it arrives onsite-from receiving and warehouse operations to inventory control, inspection staging, line-side replenishment, internal logistics, and finished goods movement.

This role leads multiple frontline leaders responsible for warehouse operations and line-side logistics while partnering closely with Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, Engineering, and Facilities. As Zipline scales production from today's rates to hundreds of aircraft per week, you'll design and continuously evolve the operating model, warehouse strategy, and material flow systems that enable high-rate manufacturing.

Success in this role requires balancing long-term strategic thinking with operational execution. You'll build the organizational structure, processes, and tools needed to support exponential growth while ensuring world-class performance in production uptime, inventory accuracy, warehouse health, replenishment performance, operational efficiency, safety, and team development.

• Lead, coach, and develop the Production Materials leadership team, including Warehouse Leads, Material Replenishment Leads, and future operational leaders.
• Build a high-performing organization through hiring, performance management, succession planning, and employee development.
• Establish clear ownership, accountability, and operating rhythms across all Production Materials functions.
• Foster a culture centered on safety, operational excellence, continuous improvement, and customer service.

• Architect and implement scalable warehouse, replenishment, inventory management, and internal logistics systems capable of supporting 10-100 production growth.
• Develop and execute the roadmap for warehouse expansion, offsite storage, milk runs, supermarket design, line-side inventory strategies, and material movement systems.
• Design, standardize, and continuously improve material flow processes, inventory transactions, replenishment methods, warehouse operations, and material disposition workflows across the Production Materials organization.
• Build the operational management system by establishing KPIs, dashboards, operating rhythms, labor planning, capacity planning, and standard operating procedures that enable operational excellence.
• Partner with internal software teams to define the product vision, operational requirements, and roadmap for in-house tools that improve inventory visibility, material flow, warehouse operations, and production replenishment.
• Evaluate and implement new technologies, automation, and industry best practices to improve safety, efficiency, scalability, and operational performance.

• Oversee receiving, warehouse operations, inventory control, IQC staging, line-side replenishment, internal logistics, and finished goods movement.
• Ensure uninterrupted production by maintaining high material availability while minimizing inventory waste and operational inefficiencies.
• Partner closely with Supply Chain, Planning, Manufacturing, Quality, Engineering, Facilities, and internal software teams to continuously improve production readiness, material flow, and operational capabilities.
• Define the product vision and operational requirements for in-house software tools that support warehouse operations, inventory management, material movement, and production replenishment, partnering closely with software engineering teams to guide development and implementation.
• Own warehouse organization standards, inventory governance, replenishment performance, and operational KPIs.
• Develop and standardize material movement processes, inventory transactions, material disposition workflows, and operating procedures across the Production Materials organization.
• Drive continuous improvement through data, KPI dashboards, labor planning, capacity planning, and digital tools that improve inventory visibility, traceability, and operational decision-making.

• Bachelor's degree in Supply Chain, Industrial Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Operations, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in warehouse operations, manufacturing logistics, supply chain, production materials, or related manufacturing operations, including 4+ years leading teams and frontline leaders.
• Experience leading operations in fast-paced manufacturing environments with a strong understanding of what world-class, high-volume production material systems look like.
• Strong understanding of warehouse management, inventory control, line-side replenishment, internal logistics, and material flow within a manufacturing environment.
• Experience developing and implementing operational systems, standardized work, and process improvements that improve safety, quality, and operational performance.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with experience using operational metrics and data to drive decision-making.
• Experience with ERP, WMS, MRP, or Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
• Proven ability to build strong cross-functional partnerships across Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Planning, Quality, Engineering, and Facilities.
• Excellent leadership, communication, organizational, and change management skills with the ability to balance strategic planning with operational execution.

• Experience supporting high-volume or rapidly scaling manufacturing operations.
• Experience with Lean Manufacturing, Toyota Production System, Kanban, supermarket replenishment, milk runs, point-of-use inventory, or other lean material flow methodologies.
• Experience leading warehouse expansions, facility startups, automation projects, or major operational transformations.

The starting cash range for this role is $130k-180k. 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.

This is an in-person role based in South San Francisco, CA.

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!