Senior Aerodynamics Director, Autonomous Drone Fleet

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

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