Electrical Systems Engineer, Towers

Zipline•South San Francisco, CA

8h•$145,000 - $225,000

About The Position

Zipline’s autonomous drone delivery is a marvel of precision engineering—but it only works if the power stays on. We are looking for a hands-on, commercially-minded Electrical Systems Engineer to own the "backbone" of our charging towers. You will be responsible for the end-to-end electrical architecture, from the site stub-up to the charging docks. This role requires a rare blend of technical rigor (NEC/UL compliance), physical grit (on-site deployments), and financial strategy. You aren't just designing a system that works; you are designing a system that scales globally and fits the budget.

Requirements

The "Heavy Lifting" Experience: You have hands-on experience pulling 1-inch diameter power cables and understand the physical reality of bend radii and conduit constraints.
Industrial Power Experience: Professional experience designing industrial electrical systems (UL508a, UL67), heavy machinery wiring, or complex infrastructure projects.
Hands-on Grit: You aren't afraid to get your hands dirty. You have experience pulling 1-inch diameter power cables and understand the physical constraints of bend radii and conduit fill.
Code & Compliance Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and experience navigating UL certification processes for industrial equipment.
System Design (No PCBAs): Your expertise lies in power distribution panels, conduits, wire trough, industrial ethernet cable design, and site-level electrical stubs rather than board-level electronics.
Harnessing Software: Proficiency in RapidHarness (or other) for designing and managing ruggedized, outdoor-rated cable assemblies.
Strategic Thinking: A proven ability to perform financial trade-off studies. You know how to calculate the ROI of a design change and can articulate those savings to leadership.

Nice To Haves

Mechanical CAD: Ability to navigate and perform basic design tasks in Mechanical CAD to ensure electrical components fit seamlessly into the tower structure.
Project Management: Experience managing contractors or field technicians during the "stub-up" and infrastructure phase of a project.

Responsibilities

System Architecture & Harnessing: Design the power distribution and cable harnesses for P2 charging towers. You will document and manage complex wire runs between docking stations and the site stub-up (RapidHarness or NX).
Financial Ownership: Own the Bill of Materials (BOM) for the tower’s electrical systems. You will perform trade-off analyses (e.g., material choices, routing efficiencies) to drive down costs without compromising safety or reliability.
Regulatory & Sign-off: Lead the process for getting designs and sites signed off by Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs). You will be the primary voice ensuring our towers meet NEC standards and are certified as UL-listed raceways.
Design Advocacy: Build and present reasoned, data-backed arguments to compare design iterations. You should be able to defend why one architecture is superior to another based on cost, ease of deployment, and long-term reliability.
Deployment & Field Work: This isn’t a "desk-only" job. You will support on-site work during deployments, ensuring that theoretical designs translate perfectly to real-world installation.