Zipline
Lead Mechanical Engineer, Production Equipment
$150K–$180K
South San Francisco, California, USA +1 · Full-time · Posted Oct 29, 2026
- Location
- South San Francisco, California, USA
South San Francisco, California, United States - Experience
- 2+ years required; 5–7 years of relevant experience preferred.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
About the job
Leads hands-on design, delivery, commissioning, and improvement of production equipment and tooling for aircraft and electro-mechanical systems at Zipline’s South San Francisco manufacturing site.
What you'll do
- Own equipment projects from requirements and CAD through fabrication, commissioning, and production release; establish design standards and coordinate project priorities.
- Design and install fixtures, tooling, operator stations, and test rigs, and drive improvements in availability, cycle time, and first-pass yield.
- Lead launch debugging, vendor acceptance testing, and cross-functional coordination; mentor tooling engineers and technicians.
What they ask for
- At least 2 years designing production equipment, fixtures, or custom automation in high-volume or fast-ramping manufacturing.
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
- Mastery of GD&T, tolerance analysis, mechanism design, material selection, and failure-mode thinking for assembly tooling.
- Proficiency in 3D CAD; hands-on factory-floor equipment commissioning and practical knowledge of pneumatics, actuators, sensors, linear motion, machine guarding, and industrial electrical interfaces.
Nice to have
- Siemens NX; SolidWorks or Creo experience is acceptable with strong NX learning intent.
- Experience in aerospace, drones, medical devices, or safety-critical electro-mechanical products.
Pay
$150,000 - $180,000 (starting cash range; base or total pay not specified)
Tools
Siemens NX, SolidWorks, Creo, GD&T
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative