Zipline
New Products Mechanical Design Engineer
$135K–$220K
South San Francisco, California, USA +1 · Full-time · Posted Jul 21, 2026
- Location
- South San Francisco, California, USA
South San Francisco, California, United States - Experience
- 5+ years; no stated alternative.
- Visa sponsorship
- Zipline may sponsor work authorization where applicable.
About the job
Design and deliver mechanical subsystems for next-generation aircraft, from concept and analysis through testing, production release, and field deployment.
What you'll do
- Own subsystem design, drawings, supplier handoffs, qualification, and change control through production and deployment.
- Plan and conduct prototype, structural, mechanism, environmental, and flight-test validation; analyze results and address failure modes.
- Use first-principles analysis and FEA to optimize performance, weight, reliability, manufacturability, cost, and schedule.
What they ask for
- 5+ years designing mechanical systems for aerospace, robotics, automotive, or similarly demanding hardware programs, including prototype-to-production experience.
- Hands-on experience in composite or metallic structural design and/or precision mechanisms.
- Proficiency in CAD (NX, SolidWorks, or equivalent), GD&T, FEA workflow, and fatigue, environmental, and life-testing methods.
- Experience producing production drawings, BOMs, and supplier specifications, and participating in supplier qualification and change control.
Nice to have
- Python or MATLAB for data analysis; bonded composite manufacturing or automated layup; structural substantiation or certification artifacts; safety-critical aircraft subsystems.
- Patents, commercialized products, or exceptional personal engineering projects.
Pay
$135,000 - $220,000 USD starting cash range (base salary or total pay not specified).
Tools
NX, SolidWorks, FEA, Python, MATLAB
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative