Zipline · 2 days ago
Senior Mechanical Engineer - Motors
South San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$160K/yr - $210K/yr
5+ years expZipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move, aiming to solve urgent access challenges through innovative logistics solutions. The Motors Mechanical Design Engineer will lead the mechanical design and integration of high-performance electric motors for autonomous delivery aircraft, ensuring reliability and performance in demanding environments.
DeliveryDronesElectric VehicleHome Health CareLogisticsRoboticsSupply Chain Management
Responsibilities
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
Qualification
Required
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
Preferred
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
Benefits
Equity compensation
Discretionary annual or performance bonuses
Sales incentives
Benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance
Paid time off
Company
Zipline
Zipline designs, manufactures, and operates drones to deliver vital medical products.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Zipline has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (54)
2024 (39)
2023 (29)
2022 (20)
2021 (16)
2020 (3)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$971MKey Investors
U.S. Department of StateThe Rise FundKatalyst Ventures
2025-11-25Grant· $150M
2023-04-28Series F· $330M
2021-06-30Series E· $250M
Leadership Team
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton
Co-founder & CEO
Keenan Wyrobek
Founder, CTO and Product Architect
Recent News
felicis.com
2025-12-26
Company data provided by crunchbase