Senior Electrical Engineer, Zipline
Long Range Platform
$160-225k
More information about location
3-5 days a week in office
Transforming the way goods move
Open for applications
Transforming the way goods move
1001+ employees
Open for applications
$160-225k
More information about location
3-5 days a week in office
1001+ employees
Company mission
To build the world's first logistics system that serves all people equally.
Role
Who you are
- A bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering or related field with a strong foundation in first principles engineering
- Minimum 4 years experience designing complex PCBAs, including: circuit analysis, schematic capture, PCB layout, packaging, integration, production, and board-level validation
- Experience with at least some of the following areas:
- Mixed signal design and high speed design
- Lithium Ion battery pack design– BMS, safety, power distribution, etc
- BLDC motor drives
- Basic embedded communications busses (e.g. SPI, I2C, UART, CAN)
- Higher speed communications (e.g. Ethernet, LVDS)
- Enthusiasm for working in a fast-paced, hands on, collaborative, cross-functional environment
- A desire to spend time in the engineering lab and experience with common lab equipment, such as an Oscilloscope, DMM, TDR, LCR, Network Analyzer, etc
- Clear communication skills and the ability to explain technical challenges to both fellow engineers and non-engineers alike
- Must be eligible to work in the US
- Must be able to work at Zipline’s South San Francisco office
What the job involves
- As a Senior Electrical Engineer on Zipline’s long-range drone program, you will lead the development, improvement, and hands-on testing of the aircraft’s core electronic systems — including motor controllers, power distribution units, battery management systems, safety circuits, and communication and networking interfaces
- You’ll take designs from architecture through prototyping, validation, and into production, working shoulder-to-shoulder with mechanical, software, and manufacturing team members to ensure every design meets the highest standards of performance, reliability, and safety
- This is a highly hands-on engineering role for someone who enjoys spending time in the lab, iterating on boards, running tests, and solving complex hardware problems
- You’ll have the opportunity to shape the architecture of a system that will scale Zipline’s impact from thousands to millions of deliveries globally
- In this role, you’ll own electrical subsystems end-to-end: from architecture development and schematic design through bring-up, validation, production, and field support
- You’ll work within an existing airborne architecture, owning meaningful subsystem improvements and enabling new capabilities while maintaining the stability of a live, production system
- In this role, you will develop hardware for our next generation platform architecture which involves designing electronics in at least one of the following fields: Microprocessors, high-speed communication, GNSS, brushless DC motor drives, power supply, battery, and more
- You’ll collaborate closely with firmware, mechanical, systems, manufacturing, and operations teams to deliver hardware that balances practical constraints with elegant solutions
- Own the electrical design for volume production through a design cycle including requirements, prototype, schematic capture, layout, and validation
- Make impactful design decisions daily, while working with a high level of independence
- Lead trade studies, understand competing design priorities, and provide direction and clarity for burning down risk
- Collaborate cross-functionally with reliability, mechanical, embedded, and systems engineers in all stages of development, including:
- Concept: System requirement, specification
- Design: Schematic capture, PCB layout, system integration
- Validation: Function and reliability test
- Production: DFM, design drawings, manufacturing, EOL test, certification
- Deployment: Troubleshoot field issues, develop rapid mitigations, roll learnings into future design revision
- Travel occasionally to support supplier and manufacturer visit, product deployment, and field validation
Our take
Zipline is reinventing how the world moves goods - one flight at a time. What started as a bold idea to deliver life-saving medical supplies by drones has grown into the world's first logistics network designed to serve everyone, everywhere. From rushing blood and vaccines to remote clinics, to dropping off everyday essential for Walmart customers, Ziplines's autonomous drones are proving that fast, reliable delivery doesn't have to be limited by roads or geography.
Zipline has an edge over potential future competitors as the company has thousands of hours and over 35 million miles of flight to prove the system is safe and effective. It’s also one of the first companies to receive a full commercial operating certificate, putting Zipline in a strong position to continuously branch out to other markets.
The unicorn company operates globally and has signed its first government contract with Rwanda to provide up to 2 million drone deliveries by 2029. Beyond government partnerships, Zipline has its sight set on everyday consumers, preparing to launch commercial deliveries straight to individuals houses. With its Walmart collaboration expanding and even Chipotle orders taking to the skies in Texas, Zipline isn't just redefining delivery - it's aiming to reach every corner of commerce, with a future that looks as bright as its ambitions.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
34% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 10 rounds)
Jan 2026
$600m
LATE VC
Nov 2025
$150m
GRANT
Total funding: $1.6bn
Company HQ
South San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton
(Co-Founder & CEO)Having studied Economics and Biotechnology at Harvard, they worked for almost 11 months as a self-employed rock climber. They combined their academic and practical experience to co-found Zipline in July 2011.
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