New Products Ground Systems Mechanical Design Engineer

About the role

The New Products team at Zipline invents the company's next generation of products. Specifically, they are developing ground systems that enable Zipline’s aircraft to safely and rapidly launch, recover, recharge, and prepare for their next mission. These systems integrate robotics, mechanisms, sensing, controls, structures, and operations, and will be deployed worldwide.

Responsibilities

• Own architecture, mechanical design, build, and validation of automated ground systems from concept through testing at flight test sites, early production and deployment into the field.
• Design structures, precision mechanisms, electromechanical assemblies, and integrated hardware for aircraft launch, recovery, recharge, and mission preparation.
• Reduce technical risk through first-principles analysis, rapid prototypes, instrumented testing, and design iteration.
• Define and execute validation that demonstrates performance, reliability, safety, manufacturability, and operational usability before production release.
• Partner with electrical, software, controls, manufacturing, operations, civil engineering, and supply chain teams to deliver complete system solutions.
• Work with suppliers and manufacturing partners to translate prototypes into production-ready assemblies, resolving design-for-manufacturing and quality issues.
• Lead technical reviews and make product tradeoffs across performance, reliability, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and customer experience.

Requirements

• Experience owning complex electromechanical systems or larger pieces of automated machinery from concept through production, with direct responsibility for design decisions and product outcomes.
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, including structural analysis, mechanism design, CAD, tolerancing, and design for manufacturing.
• Experience integrating motors, sensors, actuators, electronics, and software into reliable hardware systems.
• Practical knowledge of machining, sheet metal, welded structures, castings, molded parts, and mechanical assemblies.
• Demonstrated ability to solve ambiguous engineering problems through hands-on prototyping, experimentation, and sound technical judgment.
• Able to design reliable machinery for operational environments where safety, human interaction, and autonomous-aircraft interfaces matter.
• Clear technical communication and the ability to lead cross-functional decisions across engineering, manufacturing, and operations.

Qualifications

• Experience owning complex electromechanical systems or larger pieces of automated machinery from concept through production, with direct responsibility for design decisions and product outcomes.
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, including structural analysis, mechanism design, CAD, tolerancing, and design for manufacturing.
• Experience integrating motors, sensors, actuators, electronics, and software into reliable hardware systems.
• Practical knowledge of machining, sheet metal, welded structures, castings, molded parts, and mechanical assemblies.
• Demonstrated ability to solve ambiguous engineering problems through hands-on prototyping, experimentation, and sound technical judgment.
• Able to design reliable machinery for operational environments where safety, human interaction, and autonomous-aircraft interfaces matter.
• Clear technical communication and the ability to lead cross-functional decisions across engineering, manufacturing, and operations.