Mechanical Design Engineer (All Teams & Levels)

Mechanical Design Engineer (All Teams & Levels)

South San Francisco Avionics Structures & Mechanisms Powertrain & Battery & Ground Systems Full-Time

About Zipline
Do you want to change the world Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the worlds most urgent and complex access challenges by building manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally wherever they are.

From powering Rwandas national blood delivery network and Ghanas COVID-19 vaccine distribution to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes we are transforming the way things move for businesses governments and consumers.

The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need when you need it. Through our technology that includes robotics and autonomy we are decarbonizing delivery decreasing road congestion and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.

Join Zipline and help us make good on our promise to build an equitable and more resilient global supply chain for billions of people.

About This Posting
This posting represents multiple Mechanical Design Engineering opportunities across our Engineering organization. Were hiring across several teams (Avionics Structures & Mechanisms Powertrain & Battery Ground Systems and more) and across multiple seniority levels. Candidates who apply will be considered for all open roles that align with their background. During your first conversation we will work with you to identify the best team and level match based on your experience and interests.

About You and the Work
Does working on large integrated electro-mechanical systems from conception through fully scaled production and world-wide deployment excite you

At Zipline our work is intended for the field. Patients are counting on it today and there is no time for aiming low or coming up short. If leveraging your talent to drive creating elegantly engineered solutions excites you read on.

Were looking for driven proactive Mechanical Design Engineers to join various hardware teams across the organization. Mechanical Design engineers are responsible for coming up with novel designs that not only meet their intended function but are also robust enough to handle the severe environments our aircraft are exposed to on an everyday basis. This person will be the complete owner for their hardware hands-on in moving projects forward through each phase of the product design process (Design Build Test Repeat Scale) to produce high-impact products and manage projects on short timelines.

Additionally design engineers are responsible for overseeing their designs into production ensuring designs meet their design requirements are manufacturable inspectable and can be built at scale. Our Mechanical Engineers know their hardware inside and out and work seamlessly with Software Integration Production Suppliers and Test to make sure their hardware is functioning effectively as a part of the whole system.

Must Have Experience / Skill Sets
112 years of experience designing electromechanical and structural assemblies
Proven track record of complex subassemblies or full systems over at least two product programs
Demonstrated CAD fluency for system-level ownership (3D/2D of 2030 parts simultaneously)
Experience working with suppliers and seeking DFM feedback
Experience working on structural components and mechanisms identifying worst-case loads creating quick test setups
Demonstrated core competencies: GD&T FEA (multi-body structural and thermal) design for assembly and field ops
Prototyping experience and quick iterations on owned projects
Ability to bound problems with hand calcs (beam buckling bolted joints etc.)
Knowledge of appropriate safety margins for human safety critical applications
Excellent written verbal and visual communication skills

Additional Role-Specific Skills by Team

Avionics
Experience with high-volume electromechanical assemblies including PCBA layouts and sensor hardware including cameras air data sensors etc.
First principles thermal design

Battery and Power Distribution
Experience with high-volume electromechanical assemblies including PCBA enclosures batteries and connectors
First principles thermal design

Propulsion
Experience with rotor dynamics vibrational loads durability cycling
Familiarity with electric motors electromagnetics and brushless DC motor control
Bonus: carbon fiber structures in high-volume production

Structures and Mechanisms (Aircraft)
Design of mass-efficient carbon fiber metallic and plastic structures
Design and testing of reliable servo mechanisms

Towers
Welding design (AWS 1.1) sheet metal design electrical integration
Structural design including hand calcs and FEA
Bonus: large structural steel dynamic transient FEA

Dock and Zipping Point
Experience with design for electronics packaging/harnessing actuators mechanisms
Sheet metal and plastic design

Nice to Haves
NX as your primary CAD tool
Aerospace or automotive-level validation experience
Comfortable with data analysis
Prior technical mentorship
Testing experience (test plans execution analysis)

Interview Process
This posting represents multiple opportunities and levels our process is structured to help us place you on the right team while giving you clear visibility into what to expect.

Step 1: Recruiter Call
A short call to understand your background career goals and technical focus areas. Well use this to assess overall fit for Ziplines mechanical roles and begin role matching across our teams.

Step 2: Hiring Manager Technical Interviews
These are two separate interviews that we will schedule in-tandem. You will meet a hiring manager and also complete a technical conversation focused on mechanical fundamentals problem solving and your past work.

Step 3: Onsite Panel
A full onsite interview where you meet several team members deep dive into your design work walk through technical challenges and see the environment where our systems are built and tested. We have a strong preference to conduct your onsite interview in one day but will be flexible on a case-by-case basis

What Else You Need to Know
The starting cash range for this role is $155000 $225000. Please note that these are starting salary ranges that represent multiple internal levels. The final cash pay will depend on experience qualifications skills location and projected impact. Total compensation will also include equity incentives and benefits such as medical dental vision paid time off 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 traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit please apply.

If youd like to learn more about Zipline and our teams feel free to check out our Instagram one of our Reddit AMAs or our website.