<div class="content-intro"><h3>About Zipline</h3> Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products. Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations. Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.</div>Mechanical Design Engineer (All Teams & Levels) South San Francisco | Avionics, Structures & Mechanisms, Powertrain & Battery, & Ground Systems | Full-Time About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced autonomous delivery service, founded to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and commercial products. Our customers include healthcare systems, governments, retailers, and global brands who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide new logistics services at scale. Our technology goes beyond drones. We deploy integrated logistics infrastructure that strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and enables instant delivery, transforming how essential goods reach people everywhere. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. About This Posting This posting represents multiple Mechanical Design Engineering opportunities across our Engineering organization. We’re hiring across several teams (Avionics, Structures & Mechanisms, Powertrain & Battery, Ground Systems, and more) and across multiple seniority levels. Candidates who apply will be considered for all open roles that align with their background. During your first conversation, we will work with you to identify the best team and level match, based on your experience and interests. About You and The Role You are a driving force at your company. You enjoy solving complex dynamic problems using first principles analysis coupled with system level analytical models. In this role you will own all aspects of aero-structural dynamics at Zipline. You will be responsible for the development of aeroelastic and rotordynamic load cases, including setting and upholding analysis requirements, processes, and standards. You will also be responsible for connecting dynamics to hardware, software, and operational considerations to determine the best overall decisions for the system. This role works closely with structures, aerodynamics, GNC, and powertrain engineers to define system level requirements and vehicle configurations to achieve product level outcomes. How to know if it's you: You are the go-to person at your company for your discipline. You are proactive, looking many moves ahead to steer the system towards a better path. You set the example of excellence for your team and your company. On any given day you could be building test articles in our prototype labs, developing simple models to inform design trade studies, performing structural and flight tests to validate analysis, working across disciplines to tackle complex system level challenges, root causing a test or field failure, or in the field supporting flight tests. Zipline was founded by engineers dedicated to making the world a better place. We are building a new global industry and are looking for a talented engineer who takes a hands-on approach and will use analysis to drive design. The ideal candidate will be someone who excels in a fast paced, dynamic environment and is excited to own and drive simple, elegant solutions to complex problems that will help save lives every day. <h2>What You'll Do</h2> <ul> <li>Serve as the subject matter expert in dynamic and vibration analysis at Zipline, working across Aerodynamics, GNC, Powertrain, and Structures to own the solutions to the company’s most challenging and complex dynamics projects</li> <li>Own the company level strategy to connect dynamics design, analysis, and test in a tight iteration loop that produces the best overall product at an industry-leading pace</li> <li>Define and validate dynamics, structural, inertial and aerodynamic requirements that contribute to high flight performance and safety of the vehicle</li> <li>Develop and maintain models and analyses that predict aeroelastic stability, flutter, static and rotordynamic loads, as well as the impacts of interactions of multi-rotor aerodynamics across the flight envelope</li> <li>Drive experimental validation of models and analyses through targeted ground and flight test; success will require a hands-on approach and quality time in wind tunnels, the vibration test lab, and on the flight line</li> <li>Build and run multi-body simulations assessing the dynamics of everything from nominal flight through to parachute deployment, tether dynamics and contact dynamics</li> <li>Own system level aerostructural analysis, including driving design trades that span hardware, software, and vehicle operations</li> <li>Collaborate with aerodynamicists, mechanical designers, flight controls and firmware engineers to ensure accurate loads inputs, support the design of flight and component control laws and ensure the aircraft configuration can meet the aerostructural requirements</li> <li>Uplevel the engineering organization with respect to dynamics by providing mentorship, guidance, best practices, and building standardized in-house tools and processes</li> </ul> <h2>What You'll Bring</h2> <ul> <li>Passion for and demonstrated history of solving complex engineering challenges</li> <li>Experience serving as the Responsible Engineer for dynamics and/or aeroelasticity</li> <li>Experience with Multidisciplinary Design Analysis and Optimization (MDAO) </li> <li>Minimum 7 years experience with loads and dynamics analysis</li> <li>Deep knowledge of structural dynamics, aerodynamic loads, rotordynamics, and control systems</li> <li>Experience with industry standard analysis tools (Siemens NX, FEMAP/NX Nastran, Siemens Simcenter, ZAERO/ZONAIR, RCAS, MATLAB)</li> <li>History of working with cross functional teams to solve complex engineering problems</li> </ul> What Else You Need to Know The starting cash range for this role is $145,000 – $225,000. Please note that these are starting salary ranges that represent multiple internal levels. The final cash pay will depend on experience, qualifications, skills, location, and projected impact. Total compensation will also include equity, incentives, and benefits such as medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and more. Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply. If you’d like to learn more about Zipline and our teams, feel free to check out our Instagram, one of our Reddit AMAs, or our website.

Aeroelasticity Engineer

Ready to apply?