Crash‑Safety Test Equipment Engineer

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline in California is seeking a Mechanical Test Equipment Design Engineer focused on Crash Safety to design, build, and validate custom equipment for evaluating battery and aircraft hardware under crash conditions.

You will own end-to-end development, from requirements to commissioning, collaborating with electrical, controls, and software teams to deliver repeatable, safe, and high‑throughput test systems.

Qualifications

• Design mechanical systems and test equipment for crash safety.
• Proficient in NX or SolidWorks for CAD.
• Strong fundamentals: machine design, FEA, GD&T, fatigue.
• Experience with hydraulic/pneumatic or servo-electric actuation.
• Experience with welded structures and machined assemblies.
• Hands-on assembling and debugging mechanical equipment.
• Background in crash/impact or durability testing preferred.
• Ability to collaborate across engineering teams.
• Safety-conscious design and documentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end development of crash safety equipment.
• Design frames, fixtures, containment, mounting interfaces.
• Develop actuation systems to apply controlled loading.
• Perform hand calcs, FEA, tolerances, bolted joints.
• Produce CAD assemblies, drawings, GD&T, BOMs.
• Design for operator safety with guarding and interlocks.
• Integrate instrumentation, data acquisition with mech systems.
• Build, commission, troubleshoot lab equipment.
• Lead supplier engagement for fabricated components.

Skills

Mechanical design

CAD software

Engineering fundamentals

Structural analysis

Actuation systems

Welding/machining design

Hands-on assembly

Durability testing

Team collaboration

Tools

NX

SolidWorks

Job description

Zipline in California is seeking a Mechanical Test Equipment Design Engineer focused on Crash Safety to design, build, and validate custom equipment for evaluating battery and aircraft hardware under crash conditions.

You will own end-to-end development, from requirements to commissioning, collaborating with electrical, controls, and software teams to deliver repeatable, safe, and high‑throughput test systems.