Hiring: Mechanical Design Engineer, Structures & Mechanisms Company: Zipline Location: South San Francisco, CA Job Posted Time: 2026-09-10 10:33:45 Target Skills & Keywords : CAD About the job Required Skills: •Zipline designs, builds, tests, and operates autonomous delivery aircraft that need to operate at scale in a huge variety of environments. The aircraft design is fundamental to the success of Zipline. It balances high performance, low cost, and high reliability and cutting edge thinking/manufacturing processes to achieve those goals. •Own end-to-end delivery of structural or mechanical subsystems from requirements → design → build → test → release →production/operations sustainment •Produce and defend system-level trade studies, tolerance stacks, load paths, failure modes, and hand-calcs/analysis that bound designs for safety-critical loads and manufacturability of high performance hardware •Create CAD assemblies, detailed drawings, GD&T, and manufacturing documentation for complex assemblies: own design reviews, DFM and first-article criteria •Lead supplier selection, qualification, and handoff: drive DFM feedback, define inspection criteria, and reduce supplier NPI cycle time and scrap rates. Own escalation and remediation when supplier output risks field operations •Cross-functional interface: partner daily with Systems, Software, Production, Integration & Test, Reliability, and Field Ops to align requirements, manage trade-offs, and eliminate deployment blockers •Ship for scale: translate prototypes into designs that meet target cost, cycle time, and inspection rates for medium-volume production; own metrics for manufacturability and in-field reliability and drive them to target. Qualifications: •Proven ownership of high performance or low margin mechanical or electromechanical hardware validation through development, qualification, production ramp, and field deployment. •First principles approach to engineering and a Test-first mindset: experience planning and executing environmental, vibration, fatigue, and thermal verification; ability to design test fixtures and interpret data. •Deep hands-on experience designing carbon composite structures, injection moulded plastics, metallic structures, and/or servo-actuated mechanisms. •Strong mechanical fundamentals and experience working with suppliers when developing hardware and processes. •Demonstrated supplier/DFM experience and track record reducing NPI cycles, scrap, or supplier defects. •Clear written and verbal technical communication; ability to present tradeoffs and accept/ reject risk decisions to stakeholders. •What Else You Need To Know Compensation: •$145,000 - $225,000 / year •Total compensation will also include equity, incentives, and benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and more Interested candidates, please apply directly through the job posting on company's career page or try via AI auto apply on this platform. Don't miss this opportunity to join a forward-thinking team!