Mechanical Engineer, Production Equipment

Zipline•South San Francisco, CA

5h•$120,000 - $150,000•Onsite

About The Position

Zipline’s Manufacturing Engineering team develops production systems that turn autonomous delivery aircraft and their subsystems into reliable, repeatable products at scale. The Mechanical Engineer, Production Equipment will own the design and deployment of fixtures, workstations, mechanical tooling, and end-of-line test equipment supporting aircraft assembly, battery integration, dock components, and flight-critical subsystems. This work directly affects production throughput, first-pass yield, assembly cycle time, and maintenance uptime, as well as the readiness and safety-critical performance of delivery fleets. The role is based in South San Francisco and requires regular on-site presence during manufacturing shifts. The specific focus will reflect the candidate’s strengths and team needs. Occasional evening or weekend commissioning and up to 15% travel to vendor or field sites may be required.

Requirements

At least 5 years designing production equipment, fixtures, or custom automation in a high-volume or rapidly scaling manufacturing environment.
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent practical experience.
Strong command of GD&T, tolerance analysis, mechanisms, material selection, and failure-mode thinking.
Proficiency in 3D CAD. Siemens NX is preferred; SolidWorks or Creo experience is acceptable with a strong commitment to learning NX.
Hands-on experience with fabrication, build, commissioning, debugging, testing, and operator training.
Practical knowledge of pneumatics, actuators, sensors, linear motion, guarding, and industrial electrical interfaces.
Experience coordinating vendor builds, validating equipment against drawings and quality criteria, and delivering measurable improvements in cycle time, uptime, yield, or cost.
Strong ownership, sound judgment under pressure, and commitment to safety and reliability.

Nice To Haves

5–7 years of relevant experience.
Experience with aerospace, drones, medical devices, or safety-critical electro-mechanical products.

Responsibilities

Own equipment and tooling projects from requirements, Siemens NX CAD, and detailed drawings through vendor fabrication, build, commissioning, and production release.
Design alignment fixtures, press and torque tooling, ergonomic stations, error-proofing devices, handling fixtures, and automated end-of-line test rigs.
Apply tooling standards, GD&T, tolerance analysis, and material and process selection to create safe, maintainable equipment.
Lead hands-on debugging and root-cause analysis during launches and production ramps, and validate durable improvements.
Coordinate equipment scope, test requirements, and schedules with Design Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality, Supply Chain, Test, and Field Operations.
Write technical RFQs, evaluate proposals, verify vendor quality, and perform acceptance testing before and after installation.
Target tooling availability above 95%, reduce station-level manual assembly cycle time by 20–40%, and improve first-pass yield by at least 10% on targeted assemblies within the first 6–12 months of deployment.