Applications Engineer Intern (Spring 2027)

Zipline; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline's South San Francisco office is seeking an Applications Engineer Intern to tackle deployment challenges for our ground infrastructure across environments, from remote monitoring to weather sensing.

This full-time, in-person internship runs January 2027 through April 2027. You'll collaborate with operations and engineering teams, develop system solutions, and contribute to Platform 2 deployments.

Qualifications

• Must be an undergraduate in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering or related field; second year completed.
• Strong project management: timelines, meetings, cross-functional updates.
• Excellent verbal and written communication; ability to simplify technical info.
• Willing to travel and perform outdoor test-site work.
• CAD skills and prototyping experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and deploy system improvements for Platform 2 ground systems.
• Define handover materials and processes for sustaining operations.
• Evaluate vendors and source high-availability, low-cost products.
• Translate site requirements into deployable, first-principles solutions.

Skills

Communication

Troubleshooting

Data analysis

CAD skills

Education

Undergraduate (2nd year) in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering or related field

Tools

Siemens NX

SolidWorks

Job description

• Do you want to directly influence a wide range of engineering challenges arising from real-world, fast-paced operations
• As an Applications Engineer Intern, you are the technical specialist responsible for solving application-specific challenges related to the deployment of our infrastructure in diverse environments
• You take a rigorous systems-based approach to problem-solving
• Your primary mission is to identify, validate, and integrate off-the-shelf (OTS) systems and commercially available products that meet our rigorous ground infrastructure requirements
• Whether you are architecting a remote monitoring camera network, integrating weather sensing arrays, or designing specialized lifting and service apparatus, you ensure that Zipline’s hardware functions flawlessly in every unique application
• Contribute to the development, testing, and deployment of system improvements for the Platform 2 system supporting ground systems, commercial operations, and new deployments
• Develop and implement technical solutions for specialized application needs, including lifting apparatus for maintenance or weather stations for localized flight safety
• Evaluate, select, and manage relationships with external vendors to source high-availability, low-cost commercially available products that fulfill critical system requirements
• Work with the engineering and deployments organization to refine site requirements and transform them into deployable systems that fulfill first-principles needs
• Define the necessary handover materials and processes to move new application solutions into a sustaining operations trajectory
• This internship is a full-time position, in-person at our South San Francisco office. We will host our Spring 2027 interns from spring (January 2027 - April 2027)
• Eager to learn and grow through building strong relationships with operations and engineering teams
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to simplify complex technical information into clear, repeatable technical instructions
• Proficiency in troubleshooting hardware and software systems, data collection and analysis, and collaborating with stakeholders to address engineering challenges
• Willingness to travel and work outdoors at test sites for hands-on development and testing
• Experience in reading data sheets, layouts, or schematics
• Possessing CAD skills (Siemens NX, Solidworks, etc.) and any machine shop/prototyping experience is a plus
• A problem-solving approach with a drive for continuous improvement in a dynamic, collaborative setting
• Technical curiosity and a passion for user-centric design
• You must have completed the second year of your undergraduate studies, pursuing a degree in Electrical/Mechanical Engineering or a related field. Masters and PhD students are also eligible
• Demonstrated strong project management skills, including creating timelines, leading meetings, and providing cross-functional updates
• Self-directed with the ability to independently manage tasks