Full-Time
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Motors
Posted on 8/8/2025
Zipline
1,001-5,000 employees
Autonomous drone delivery and logistics platform
Compensation Overview
$160k - $210k/yr
San Bruno, CA, USA
In Person
 Mechanical Engineering (1) |
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- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering or related field (M.S. preferred)
- 5+ years of experience designing mechanical components for electric machines or high-speed rotating equipment
- Proficiency in CAD (e.g. NX, CATIA, or Creo) and structural/thermal FEA (e.g., ANSYS, Nastran, Abaqus)
- Experience with materials selection and trade studies for complex thermally and mechanically constrained environments
- Familiarity with industry standard motor assembly processes, manufacturing, and design guidelines
- Demonstrated understanding of heat transfer and history of implementing integrated cooling strategies
- Own the mechanical design of electric motors and related assemblies from concept through to production. This includes rotor-stator subassemblies, cooling solutions, structural housings, and other components.
- Collaborate closely with electromagnetic, structural, and thermal engineers to perform system level FEA/CAE. This includes modeling rotor dynamics and propeller interactions, motor thermals and magnetics, mounting vibrational loads, and more. You will also be responsible for ensuring products meet aircraft performance targets in transient and steady-state conditions through the use of CAE and/or hand calculations.
- Lead design-for-manufacturing (DFM) and design-for-assembly (DFA) workstreams internally and externally. Work closely with supply chain and vendors on prototyping, validation, and high-volume production readiness.
- Define and help execute test plans for durability including load cycling, waterproofing, mechanical shock/vibration, and more. Analyze failures and iterate designs accordingly.
- Work across electro-magnetics, power electronics, controls, firmware, and systems engineering to ensure successful integration and performance at the aircraft-level
- Create detailed drawings and tolerance stack-ups for components and assemblies
- Lead cost-down efforts for your designs to enable mass production and operations scaling
- Experience with high-torque density or high-efficiency PMSMs
- Hands-on prototyping and test fixture development experience
- Working knowledge of GD&T and tolerance stack analysis
- Exposure to DFMEA and risk management frameworks
- Familiarity with electromagnetic design principles and workflows
Zipline designs, builds, and operates autonomous delivery networks using two drone platforms: P1 fixed-wing drones for long-range, centralized deliveries with parachute drops, and P2 hover-drones for precise home deliveries. It provides end-to-end service, from drones and hubs to software and logistics, under government and enterprise contracts, earning revenue per delivery or per distribution center. The system enables zero-emission, instant logistics for medical supplies and consumer goods across multiple countries, with partners like Walmart and GNC. The goal is fast, reliable, scalable delivery that expands access to essential items, especially healthcare, through a fully integrated global network.
Company Size
1,001-5,000
Company Stage
Series H
Total Funding
$2.1B
Headquarters
South San Francisco, California
Founded
2014
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Raised $600M at $7.6B valuation, expanding to Houston and Phoenix in 2026.
- $150M U.S. State Department contract triples African facilities to 15,000.
- 15% weekly U.S. delivery growth, partnerships with Walmart, Chipotle, Mayo Clinic.
What critics are saying
- FAA BVLOS restrictions block P2 urban expansion after Wing incidents.
- Amazon Prime Air captures Walmart contracts with 10x higher volume.
- Rwanda shifts 70% medical contracts to JOUAV post-20% Zipline fee hike.
What makes Zipline unique
- Zipline operates world's largest autonomous drone delivery system with 2 million deliveries.
- Dual platforms: P1 for 75-mile medical drops, P2 for urban tether deliveries since 2023.
- Vertically integrates design, manufacturing, and operations from South San Francisco.
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Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Paid Vacation
Paid Sick Leave
Company Equity
Performance Bonus
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -1%1 year growth
↓ -1%2 year growth
↑ 0%The funding adds to a previous round, announced in January, that valued the drone startup at $7.6 billion.
Zipline, an American robotics company operating the world's largest autonomous delivery system, has raised over $600 million and is now valued at $7.6 billion. The company has surpassed two million commercial deliveries and will expand to Houston and Phoenix in early 2026, with additional metros following later in the year. Zipline's US deliveries have grown approximately 15% week-over-week for seven months. The service delivers food, retail and healthcare products in as little as 10 minutes, with a median flight time of three minutes. New sites now reach 100 deliveries per day in just two days, compared to 10 weeks for the company's first Dallas location. The company exceeded its Q3 daily delivery volume target by 30% and reached its Q4 target six weeks early.
The Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) announced a $150 million funding initiative from the U.S. State Department to expand Zipline's drone delivery network for HIV care in Africa. This will increase outreach from 5,000 to 15,000 health facilities, benefiting 100 million people. The initiative has already delivered 86,000 antiretroviral treatments and empowered 38,600 adolescents to get tested. The program aims to eliminate HIV transmission in Africa through innovative healthcare delivery.
Introducing Zipotle: Chipotle partners with Zipline for aerial food delivery in Dallas.
Earlier this year, Zipline launched its first-ever P2 drone site at Walmart stores in Mesquite and Waxahachie, Texas, offering a delivery experience that's quieter than the average delivery truck.