Aerodynamics Manager

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 200,000 - 265,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking a senior aerodynamics leader in South San Francisco to own aerodynamic performance and aeroacoustic targets for our autonomous delivery aircraft fleet. You will lead a 5–9 person team, drive wind tunnel and flight-test programs, and ensure range, noise, and safety benchmarks are met across vehicle programs.

You will translate CFD and experimental results into plant models, collaborate with propulsion, structures, and flight software, and push for release-quality geometry for

Qualifications

• 6+ years industry experience in applied aerodynamics/aircraft design with at least 3 years in a leadership role or ready to lead a 5–9 person team.
• CFD experience with Fluent, Star-CCM+, OpenFOAM, powerFLOW or equivalent; ability to translate CFD data into plant models.
• Hands-on experimental aerodynamics skills: wind tunnel design, pressure scanning, PIV/LDV, tufting, load measurement, flight-test instrumentation.
• Advanced surfacing and geometry skills with CATIA or NX; release-quality geometry for mass-produced products.
• Strong understanding of propeller/rotor aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, with noise-reduction techniques.
• Able to work under schedule pressure, making fast, defensible tradeoffs; hands-on through design, flight test and manufacturing handoff.
• Based in South San Francisco; on-site 5 days/week; travel domestically for flight tests.

Responsibilities

• Own aerodynamic performance and aeroacoustic targets for all active vehicle programs and fleet upgrades; set measurable targets and be accountable for meeting them.
• Lead and grow a 5–9 person aerodynamics team, set roadmaps, hire, and run weekly design reviews tied to flight-test campaigns.
• Build, validate, and maintain aerodynamic plant models; own model versioning and error budgets tied to fleet performance.
• Design and oversee aero test assets: wind tunnel models, instrumented flight-test vehicles, bench rigs, propeller test stands.
• Deliver advanced surfacing as release-quality inputs to mechanical design and manufacturing; ensure manufacturability and maintenance access.
• Lead propeller aerodynamic and acoustic trade studies; document, justify decisions and mitigations.
• Establish metrics for aerodynamic health and report progress to vehicle program leadership.
• Interface daily with propulsion, structures, flight software, certification/safety, manufacturing, and field ops; resolve cross-functional aero/system tradeoffs.

Job description

About Zipline

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products.

Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.

Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.

We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real‑world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record‑breaking speeds.

About You And The Role

You’ll be a senior engineering leader responsible for delivering the aerodynamic and acoustic performance that make Zipline’s autonomous delivery aircraft fleet a magical customer experience. You will lead the aerodynamics discipline across clean‑sheet vehicles and major hardware revisions, owning aerodynamic tradeoffs that materially affect range, payload, noise compliance, manufacturability, and fleet uptime. Your team’s work directly impacts Zipline’s ability to deliver on‑time, meet noise and safety limits in populated operational networks, reduce maintenance burden in distributed field sites, and support certification evidence where required. This role is based at our primary engineering site in South San Francisco with an expected on‑site cadence of 5 days/week; regular domestic travel to flight‑test facilities and operational sites is required.

What You’ll Do

• Own aerodynamic performance and aeroacoustic targets for all active vehicle programs and fleet upgrades; set measurable targets that contribute to broad operational and business goals, and be accountable for meeting them.
• Lead and grow a 5–9 person aerodynamics team, set roadmaps, hire, and run weekly design reviews and sprint milestones tied to flight‑test campaigns and program release gates.
• Build, validate, and maintain the aerodynamic plant models used by flight controls, performance, and systems teams; own model versioning and error budgets tied to fleet performance metrics (range, climb rate, cruise efficiency, acoustic footprint, and margin to safety limits).
• Design, specify, and oversee execution of aero test assets: wind tunnel models, instrumented flight‑test vehicles, bench rigs, and propeller test stands; translate test results into model updates and design fixes within program schedules.
• Deliver advanced surfacing (external and internal wetted geometry) as release‑quality inputs to mechanical design and manufacturing; respecting manufacturability, assembly interfaces, and maintenance access in designs.
• Lead propeller aerodynamic and acoustic trade studies to minimize noise while meeting thrust and efficiency targets; own trade decisions, documentation and risk mitigations.
• Establish and track measurable metrics for aerodynamic health of the fleet (model fidelity, production deviation rates, flight‑test pass rates, acoustic exceedances, and field‑maintenance root causes) and report progress to vehicle program leadership.
• You will interface daily with propulsion, structures, flight software, certification/safety, manufacturing, and field operations teams; resolving cross‑functional aero/system tradeoffs and owning aero‑related requirements in system‑level reviews.

What You’ll Bring

• Minimum 6+ years industry experience in applied aerodynamics/aircraft design with at least 3 years in a leadership role or clear readiness to lead a 5–9 person team; hands‑on contributor background required.
• Deep expertise in CFD (experience with Fluent, Star‑CCM+, OpenFOAM, powerFLOW, or equivalent); translating CFD data into validated plant models for controls and performance, and interpreting three‑dimensional flow behaviors to drive design forward.
• Proven experimental aerodynamics skills: wind tunnel program design, pressure scanning, PIV/LDV, tufting/surface oil flow visualization, load measurement, flight‑test instrumentation and data reduction.
• Advanced surfacing and geometry skills with tools such as CATIA or NX and experience producing release‑quality geometry for mass produced products.
• Strong understanding of propeller/rotor aerodynamics and aeroacoustics, including noise‑reduction design techniques and trade studies between efficiency and acoustic footprint.
• Comfortable operating at high intensity: making fast, defensible tradeoffs under schedule pressure and ambiguity; hands‑on through design, flight test and manufacturing handoff.
• Logistics & location: based in South San Francisco (required); ability to be on‑site 5 days/week and travel domestically 10–20% for flight tests. You must be eligible to work in the US.

What Else You Need To Know

The starting cash range for this role is $200,000 to $265,000. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!