Head of System Modeling

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 the first instant logistics system that serves all humans equally. Leveraging expertise in robotics and autonomy Zipline serves tens of millions of people around the world. Join Zipline and help us to make good on our promise to build an equitable and more resilient global supply chain for billions of people.

About The Systems Modeling Team

The Systems Modeling Team has tremendous power to shape Ziplines products. We develop physics-based models and use them to architect and optimize our aircraft as well as the supporting logistics system. Through simulation we can rapidly explore a vast array of design options for future products and we can find ways to wring more performance out of our existing products.

Systems Modeling brings diverse teams and fields together (e.g. mechanical aerodynamics electromagnetics electrical battery chemistry thermal controls fleet operations economics) to gain new insights. We translate technical conversations into rigorously framed engineering problems. We value asking pertinent questions and generating coherent answers.

What Youll Do

You will lead a team of high-caliber engineers applying analytical skills at both the product architectural and fleet operations level. Your teams contributions will guide and accelerate key decisions during many phases of engineering development and scaling. Importantly you will challenge assumptions and requirements especially those which drive the most cost and complexity. You will relentlessly pursue high-quality insights by improving validation processes checking simulation results with independent hand calculations safeguarding model inputs and calling out where model assumptions are weakly supported by data.

The fundamental role of your team is to build and maintain models that close the loop between product performance goals and hardware/software requirements. For example this might consist of an aircraft model with subcomponents for motors inverters propellers wings batteries position/orientation controllers and more. Youll zoom in on the finer points of each subsystem: Should the propulsive motor be mated to a gearbox How can we design it to supply sufficient torque without overheating while weighing as little as possible What type of battery chemistry should be selected in light of requirements for lifetime mass power capability and energy Youll ask critical questions at the system-level: How much range is an acceptable trade-off for payload mass How does unfavorable weather impact aircraft performance capabilities Youll explore the vast space of mission types sub-system faults and other key events to understand their impact on the system.

Your team also optimizes the operational efficiency of the Zipline fleet directly impacting our customers. What is the smallest number of aircraft that can effectively support a given service area How might we maximize deliveries per unit hardware by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks or by adding sophistication to our aircraft dispatching strategy How should we manage battery charging given competing objectives of battery life versus charging speed Is it best to avoid windier parts of the day or is it ultimately too costly to sit idle Your teams model-driven analysis will link operational decisions with customer-facing outcomes.

What Youll Bring

• Demonstrated experience building mathematical models and modeling frameworks across languages methods and tools
• Deep programming experience in Python MATLAB or Rust
• An understanding of numerical methods
• Strong convictions about the defining attributes of high-quality code tools
• Demonstrated experience integrating simulation tools across platforms and software languages
• A mastery of engineering and physics fundamentals:
• Energy and power
• Dynamics (kinematics forces moments acceleration/rotation)
• Fluids and aerodynamics
• Heat transfer and thermodynamics
• Experience in fleet-level simulations and optimization
• Range Modeling
• Throughput Modeling
• Network Modeling
• Fluency in system-level optimization
• An ability to distill an open-ended topic into a rigorously framed problem statement
• Familiarity with a variety of solution techniques and the ability to identify an appropriate technique for a given problem
• Comfort with empiricism
• An ability to interpret complex datasets that span multiple physical realms
• Experience designing test campaigns for model validation
• Familiarity with practical considerations in embedded algorithm design
• Excellent communication skills particularly in distilling multidimensional solution spaces into straightforward insights
• Demonstrated leadership attributes
• Awareness of the most critical needs of the company and motivation to seek out unsolved problems
• An ability to drive progress on many projects at once and to dynamically prioritize projects in a fast-evolving environment
• Courage to make tough decisions in the face of imperfect information
• Adherence to thorough and well-organized documentation
• Patience to teach technical skills to others while remaining open-minded to learning new skills yourself
• Empathy and understanding for the people you work with

Minimum Experience:

• 10 years related industry experience
• BS in Mechanical Engineering Electrical Engineering or similar discipline; MS strongly preferred

What Else You Need to Know

The starting cash range for this role isSalary range: $190000.00 - $230000.00. Please note that this is a target starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. We are always open to negotiation. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors including a specific candidates experience qualifications skills working location and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race color ancestry national origin religion or religious creed mental or physical disability medical condition genetic information sex (including pregnancy childbirth and related medical conditions) sexual orientation gender identity gender expression age marital status military or veteran status citizenship or other characteristics protected by state federal or local law or our other policies.

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!