Applications Engineer Intern (Summer 2027)

Zipline; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 48,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking an Applications Engineer Intern to join our Deployment and Construction team in South San Francisco. You will tackle system-level challenges for ground infrastructure and help ensure reliable operation of our drone charging sites.

You will identify off-the-shelf solutions, collaborate with operations and engineering, and help deploy scalable, cost-effective designs for real-world deployments. This is a full-time, on-site internship for Summer 2027.

Qualifications

• Must have completed the second year of undergraduate studies in engineering.
• Masters or PhD students eligible for the internship.
• Strong problem-solving and teamwork abilities.

Responsibilities

• Identify, validate, and integrate off-the-shelf systems for ground infrastructure
• Develop and deploy system improvements for Platform 2 ground systems
• Evaluate external vendors to source high-availability, low-cost products
• Translate site requirements into deployable, field-ready solutions

Skills

Troubleshooting hardware and software

Data collection and analysis

Stakeholder collaboration

Communication skills

Education

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

Masters or PhD students eligible

Tools

Siemens NX

Solidworks

Job description

• The Deployment and Construction team is responsible for turning bare ground into functional drone charging sites! We’re a broad cross-functional team with skills across civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and construction engineering with mandate to deliver world-class construction execution with zero issues in the first 30 days, on-time and on-budget, using scalable, cost-optimized, and serviceable designs
• 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 Summer 2027 interns from (May/June - August/September)

Technical curiosity and a passion for user-centric designYou 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 eligibleEager to learn and grow through building strong relationships with operations and engineering teamsProficiency in troubleshooting hardware and software systems, data collection and analysis, and collaborating with stakeholders to address engineering challengesPossessing CAD skills (Siemens NX, Solidworks, etc.) and any machine shop/prototyping experience is a plusWillingness to travel and work outdoors at test sites for hands-on development and testingA problem-solving approach with a drive for continuous improvement in a dynamic, collaborative settingExcellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to simplify complex technical information into clear, repeatable technical instructionsExperience in reading data sheets, layouts, or schematicsSelf-directed with the ability to independently manage tasksDemonstrated strong project management skills, including creating timelines, leading meetings, and providing cross-functional updates