Senior Electrical Engineer - Avionics (RF)

About the position

Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move, aiming to solve the world's most urgent access challenges through an instant delivery and logistics system. The Avionics team is responsible for designing robust systems that control the drone delivery service in challenging environments. This role involves delivering high-performance communication and navigation systems integrated into the Avionics flight computer, which is crucial for expanding Zipline's delivery capabilities from 100,000 to 100 million deliveries per year. The position requires rigorous design engineering and validation to ensure low mass, low cost, and high reliability of avionics systems.

Responsibilities

• Join a team of RF engineers owning RF communications at Zipline.
• Develop and implement RF engineering processes to ensure high quality on tight timelines.
• Provide technical leadership in system level design including RF link budgets and interference analysis.
• Define and optimize vehicle RF architecture at integrated vehicle and fleet system levels.
• Design radios, amplifiers, filters, and antennas to meet RF architecture requirements.
• Develop confirmation tests to ensure RF systems meet specifications.
• Coordinate regulatory and industry certification for domestic and international markets.
• Work with Avionics and Ground Systems teams to implement RF systems in the aircraft flight computer.
• Collaborate with teams such as GNC, Aero, and Perception to determine RF system performance requirements.
• Sustain the operation of existing avionics systems in the fleet of aircraft.

Requirements

• Demonstrated skill in building and leading a team of engineers.
• 3+ years of experience in RF engineering roles, with at least one year of direct people management experience.
• Experience developing electronics for critical systems in automotive, aerospace, transportation, or medical devices.
• Deep design experience in RF system design, antenna design, or complex RF systems.
• Strong understanding of communication system fundamentals.
• Familiarity with RF design tools such as ADS, CST, Microwave Office, MATLAB, or Simulink.
• Clear communication skills to explain technical challenges to engineers and non-engineers.
• Eligibility to work in the US.
• Ability to work in person at Zipline's South San Francisco office.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid time off.
• Equity compensation.
• Discretionary annual or performance bonuses.
• Sales incentives.