Zipline
Mechanical Engineer, RF Systems
$135K–$225K
South San Francisco, California, USA +1 · Full-time · Posted Aug 14, 2026
- Location
- South San Francisco, California, USA
South San Francisco, California, United States
About the job
Owns the mechanical architecture and design of antenna and RF assemblies for autonomous delivery vehicle avionics, preserving RF performance from prototype through production and field deployment.
What you'll do
- Design and release antenna and RF hardware, including CAD, drawings, specifications, tolerance analysis, and production requirements.
- Work with RF and test teams to evaluate performance and investigate failures; translate RF and vehicle requirements into mechanical constraints.
- Qualify components and manufacturing processes with suppliers, and establish controls that maintain performance across production and environmental conditions.
What they ask for
- Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, including structures, vibration, fatigue, thermal design, materials, sealing, tolerance analysis, and environmental protection.
- Advanced CAD, GD&T, datum strategy, drawing release, and production-tolerance skills.
- Working knowledge of RF fundamentals and how mechanical design choices affect antenna and link performance.
- Experience designing environmentally sealed hardware and integrating RF cables, connectors, shielding, grounding, and strain relief.
Nice to have
- Experience with GNSS, cellular, Wi-Fi, command-and-control, ADS-B, UWB, or multi-radio platforms.
- Experience with aircraft, drones, robotics, automotive systems, or other space-constrained wireless products.
Pay
$135,000 - $225,000 USD starting cash range (base salary)
Tools
CAD, GNSS, Wi-Fi, ADS-B, GD&T, S-parameters, VSWR, FPC
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative