Senior Mechanical Engineer, Autonomous Drone Systems

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical architecture and detailed design of key assemblies for our autonomous delivery systems. You will balance safety, reliability, manufacturability and serviceability for field‑facing products, with hands-on responsibility across low-maintenance targets and high-cycle life.

You will collaborate with Electrical, Software, Systems, Test and Manufacturing to develop validation plans, prototype rapidly, and drive design decisions that

Qualifications

• Demonstrated end-to-end ownership of electromechanical hardware.
• Strong GD&T, tolerance analysis and datum strategy experience.
• Prototyping, testing, and data-driven decision making.
• Experience collaborating with suppliers and manufacturing teams.
• Ability to translate requirements into robust mechanical design.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end mechanical scope for assemblies: requirements, architecture, CAD drawings, BOMs, and production release.
• Define metrics (MTBF, MTTR, yield) and drive design choices to meet targets.
• Translate workflows and hazards into mechanical requirements and verified designs.
• Lead system-level trade studies across safety, reliability, cost, and schedule.
• Create GD&T and tolerance stack-ups for complex assemblies to ensure repeatable assembly.
• Perform first-principles analyses, hand calculations, and FEA to validate designs.
• Integrate actuators, transmissions, sensors, PCBAs, harnesses into reliable assemblies.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop validation plans and test campaigns.
• Lead investigations of failures and implement corrective actions with measurable impact.

Skills

End-to-end ownership

GD&T mastery

FEA analysis

Prototyping/testing

Supplier collaboration

Tools

CAD (3D)

DFM/DFA

Analytical tools

Job description

Zipline is seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to own the mechanical architecture and detailed design of key assemblies for our autonomous delivery systems. You will balance safety, reliability, manufacturability and serviceability for field‑facing products, with hands-on responsibility across low-maintenance targets and high-cycle life.

You will collaborate with Electrical, Software, Systems, Test and Manufacturing to develop validation plans, prototype rapidly, and drive design decisions that