Hardware Design Intern, Autonomous Flight Platform

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 54,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking a Hardware Engineering Intern for the Long Range Platform Design Engineering team in South San Francisco. You will take ownership of hardware challenges, iterate on real hardware, and collaborate with experienced engineers to deliver scalable solutions.

You’ll contribute from problem understanding through prototyping, testing, and validation, gaining engineering judgment and practical hands-on experience in a fast-growing global logistics system.

Qualifications

• Pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field, ideally in your junior or senior year.
• Strong understanding of core engineering fundamentals and applying them to open-ended hardware problems.
• Experience building, testing, or troubleshooting physical systems through coursework, projects, internships, or personal projects.

Responsibilities

• Own a focused hardware design project or root-cause investigation from problem definition through a tested solution.
• Develop mechanical and/or electrical designs using engineering fundamentals, CAD, and analysis.
• Build and iterate on prototypes, test fixtures, and hardware using hands-on fabrication and assembly.
• Design and run tests to characterize performance, investigate failures, and validate solutions.
• Analyze test data to identify root causes, evaluate tradeoffs, and make engineering decisions.
• Collaborate with experienced engineers across disciplines and learn how complex hardware is developed and deployed.
• Communicate your work through design reviews, test results, and technical documentation.

Skills

Hands-on hardware

CAD

Data analysis

Problem solving

Collaboration

Onsite work

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or Electrical Engineering

Job description

Zipline is seeking a Hardware Engineering Intern for the Long Range Platform Design Engineering team in South San Francisco. You will take ownership of hardware challenges, iterate on real hardware, and collaborate with experienced engineers to deliver scalable solutions.

You’ll contribute from problem understanding through prototyping, testing, and validation, gaining engineering judgment and practical hands-on experience in a fast-growing global logistics system.