Senior/Staff Electrical Engineer, Towers

Zipline•South San Francisco, CA

2h•$160,000 - $255,000

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

Hands-on experience pulling 1-inch diameter power cables and understand the physical reality of bend radii and conduit constraints.
Professional experience designing industrial electrical systems (UL508a, UL67), heavy machinery wiring, or complex infrastructure projects.
Experience pulling 1-inch diameter power cables and understand the physical constraints of bend radii and conduit fill.
Expert-level knowledge of the National Electrical Code (NEC) and experience navigating UL certification processes for industrial equipment.
Expertise in power distribution panels, conduits, wire trough, industrial ethernet cable design, and site-level electrical stubs rather than board-level electronics.
Proficiency in RapidHarness (or other) for designing and managing ruggedized, outdoor-rated cable assemblies.
Proven ability to perform financial trade-off studies.
Ability to calculate the ROI of a design change and articulate those savings to leadership.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Design the power distribution and cable harnesses for P2 charging towers.
Document and manage complex wire runs between docking stations and the site stub-up (RapidHarness or NX).
Own the Bill of Materials (BOM) for the tower’s electrical systems.
Perform trade-off analyses (e.g., material choices, routing efficiencies) to drive down costs without compromising safety or reliability.
Lead the process for getting designs and sites signed off by Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs).
Ensure our towers meet NEC standards and are certified as UL-listed raceways.
Build and present reasoned, data-backed arguments to compare design iterations.
Defend why one architecture is superior to another based on cost, ease of deployment, and long-term reliability.
Support on-site work during deployments, ensuring that theoretical designs translate perfectly to real-world installation.