Mechanical Engineer Intern (Spring 2027)

Zipline; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 30,000 - 39,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

In-person internship

Spring 2027 program

Job summary

Zipline is seeking mechanical engineering interns to contribute to end-to-end product development at our South San Francisco or Dallas offices. You will take requirements, develop concepts, and evaluate trades while using 2D/3D CAD tools to design parts and assemblies.

You will build and test prototypes to gather quick learnings and validate designs. You will also design and run electro-mechanical testers, analyze failures, and document key decisions for the team.

Qualifications

• The candidate has completed at least the second year of undergraduate studies and is pursuing a mechanical field.
• Experience designing and building multiple mechanical systems outside of coursework.
• Strong CAD skills and willingness to learn through design reviews and failure analysis.

Responsibilities

• Take requirements to develop concepts and evaluate tradeoffs.
• Design parts and assemblies using 2D/3D CAD tools.
• Build and test prototypes to gather quick learnings and validate concepts.
• Run electro-mechanical testers and test rigs to prove reliability.
• Document design decisions for team understanding.

Skills

CAD tools

2D CAD

3D CAD

Prototype testing

Root cause analysis

Cross-functional teamwork

Automation with actuators

Raspberry Pi

Education

Undergraduate year 2+

Tools

Raspberry Pi

Job description

• Mechanical Engineers at Zipline go deep in their area of ownership, become experts in the problem domain, define requirements for their systems, rapidly develop creative and simple solutions, and prove with testing that their system meets the rigors and edge-cases of real-world deployment
• We are composed of teams that are responsible for everything from the earliest designs of a new system, to creating test and validation strategies, root-causing issues with existing systems, and much more
• Mechanical interns can own a variety of big problems integral to our system! You can expect to:
• Take product and engineering requirements to develop concepts and evaluate tradeoffs for each
• Use 2D and 3D CAD tools to design parts and assemblies based on sound engineering principles
• Use resources creatively to design, build, and test prototypes to gather quick learnings
• Work cross-functionally with other Zipline teams and suppliers to review designs
• Design, build, and run electro-mechanical testers that you develop to prove reliability of critical components
• Evaluate designs and components on a material, element, and fully integrated product level
• Root cause failures and develop a test to replicate the failure mode
• Document your work so that others can easily understand key decisions made
• Examples of previous intern projects include designing, building, testing, and running:
• Flexible blind-mate ducting connection between an aircraft and a ground-based cooling station, allowing for aircraft battery temperature regulation during charging and pre-flight preparation
• A service strategy for removing a docked aircraft from a ground station using a custom designed hand cart, complete with an ergonomic study for a range of technician heights and strengths
• A communications tower with integrated antennas and lightning protection meant to relay vital telemetry information from the drone to the operators during flight
• Characterization of proposed and delivered materials, and properties (static strength, durability, and dynamic response) of configured structures
• A wing cycle tester to identify and eliminate risk for each wing iteration and prove reliability with cycles
• Our internships are full-time positions, in-person at our South San Francisco or Dallas office. We will host our Spring 2027 interns from January to April/May

The most critical skill we’ve seen in prior entry-level candidates is robust experience designing and actually building multiple mechanical systems outside of the classroomYou must have completed at least the second year of your Undergraduate studies. Masters and PhD students are also eligibleYou bias to action and communicate consistently with your team to ensure everyone is focused on meeting the project goals on timeYou’ve worked on complex projects that require mechanical, electrical, and software designYou’re well versed in CAD, and have designed multiple projects with itYou’re excited to build on your design skills with brainstorms, design reviews, and failure mode analysisYou’re quick to change direction when you realize you’ve made a mistake OR could achieve the same goal in a simpler wayYou’ll bring solid mechanical engineering fundamentals for structural analysis, sizing parts, and integrating components into a design with minimal helpYou bring a “can do” attitude, because we have a lot of vital work to get done and only work with people who are invested in solving critical problemsYou can anticipate, plan and schedule your own workYou’ll bring automation experience from working with actuators and Raspberry Pi’s (or similar)