Flight Structures & Mechanisms Mechanical Design Engineer

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 145,000 - 225,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline designs, builds, tests, and operates autonomous delivery aircraft. As a Mechanical engineer on Platform 2 Aircraft Structures & Mechanisms, you will own flight hardware affecting flight safety, reliability, and scale of service.

This hands-on, full-stack role spans concept to field maintenance. You will push for best designs, collaborate with production and test, and deliver manufacturable hardware with ownership and impact.

Qualifications

• Experience owning hardware development from concept to field deployment.
• Ability to design test fixtures and interpret data.
• Experience with carbon/composite structures and metallic structures.
• Strong collaboration with suppliers and cross-functional teams.
• Clear written and verbal technical communication.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end delivery of structural subsystems from design to production.
• Defend system-level trade studies and tolerance stacks.
• Create CAD assemblies, drawings, GD&T, and manufacturing docs.
• Lead supplier selection and DFM feedback to reduce NPI cycle time.
• Cross-functional interface with Systems, Software, Production, and Test.
• Translate prototypes into designs meeting cost, cycle time, and inspection targets.

Skills

Hardware validation

First principles

Test-first mindset

Carbon composites design

Supplier collaboration

Technical communication

Tools

CAD software

DFM

Prototype testing

Job description

Zipline designs, builds, tests, and operates autonomous delivery aircraft. As a Mechanical engineer on Platform 2 Aircraft Structures & Mechanisms, you will own flight hardware affecting flight safety, reliability, and scale of service.

This hands-on, full-stack role spans concept to field maintenance. You will push for best designs, collaborate with production and test, and deliver manufacturable hardware with ownership and impact.