Mechanical Engineering Manager, Autonomous Platform

flyzipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking a Mechanical Engineering Manager for the Long Range Platform in South San Francisco. You will set the mechanical strategy, lead the team from architecture through production and field use, and ensure reliable, scalable hardware for real-world operations.

You will collaborate with Product, Systems, and Manufacturing to translate customer needs into robust system requirements and validated designs, driving safety, weight management, and cost efficiency at scale.

Responsibilities

• Build and develop an exceptional mechanical engineering team.
• Own mechanical engineering outcomes across the Long Range Platform.
• Guide mechanical architecture and design for aircraft structures, mechanisms, powertrain, batteries, avionics packaging, and ground systems.
• Translate customer and operator needs into product requirements, interfaces, and validation plans.
• Drive systems engineering across mechanical and platform interfaces and ensure safety analyses.
• Stay technically engaged through design reviews, analysis, prototyping, and testing.
• Lead tradeoffs across safety, weight, performance, and cost, keeping the team moving.
• Partner with Product, Electrical, Software, Systems, Integration, Test, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, and Operations.
• Move hardware from prototype to deployment and work with suppliers for production readiness.

Skills

Mechanical design

Systems engineering

People management

Roadmapping

Design reviews

Job description

Zipline is seeking a Mechanical Engineering Manager for the Long Range Platform in South San Francisco. You will set the mechanical strategy, lead the team from architecture through production and field use, and ensure reliable, scalable hardware for real-world operations.

You will collaborate with Product, Systems, and Manufacturing to translate customer needs into robust system requirements and validated designs, driving safety, weight management, and cost efficiency at scale.