Material Planning Manager - Supply Chain

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 Does the prospect of a society-altering challenge—owning the material availability and planning backbone to support rapid scaling of a first-of-its-kind autonomous robotic aircraft system—sound like the type of work that gets you out of bed in the morning? Can you cut through complex, competing signals from engineering changes, production ramps, supplier constraints, and demand variability to drive precise, actionable plans that keep manufacturing moving forward? Are you energized by the authority and responsibility of leading material strategy for an entire aircraft platform or major subsystem in a high-visibility, mission-critical role? If this excites you, you’re who we’re looking for! This is an in-person role based out of our HQ in South San Francisco requiring 30-50% travel to manage critical suppliers, partners, and operations in Asia, North America, and other key regions. What you’ll do In this highly visible leadership role, you will own the comprehensive material planning and data integrity for either a full aircraft platform or a major subsystem, ensuring seamless alignment between design intent, production needs, supplier commitments, and operational execution. You will serve as the central authority for material-related data and processes, working closely with Engineering, Strategic Sourcing, Supplier Industrialization, New Product Introduction (NPI), Manufacturing Operations, and Integrated Planning teams to scale Zipline’s manufacturing footprint reliably and at speed. Own and maintain the end-to-end material availability strategy, including accurate translation of production schedules and forecasts into supplier requirements, inventory positioning, and risk mitigation plans. Lead ownership and governance of critical master data (BOMs, item attributes, lead times, planning parameters, and engineering change impacts) to ensure MRP and planning systems reflect the current design and production reality. Develop, communicate, and manage forward-looking forecasts and commitments to suppliers, aligning them with Zipline’s aggressive ramp plans, design evolution, and program milestones. Drive the engineering change integration process for materials—assessing supply planning impacts, updating planning data, and minimizing disruptions to supply continuity and production flow. Plan, organize, direct, and execute material readiness activities