Senior Electrical Engineer - Long Range Platform

You will own electrical subsystems end-to-end for Zipline's long-range drone platform, from architecture and schematic design through validation, production, and field support. You'll work on next-generation platform architecture, designing electronics in areas such as microprocessors, high-speed communication, GNSS, brushless DC motor drives, power supply, and batteries. Collaborating closely with firmware, mechanical, systems, manufacturing, and operations teams, you'll deliver hardware that balances practical constraints with elegant solutions while maintaining the stability of a live production system.

Responsibilities

• 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

Requirements

• 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.

Benefits

• The starting cash range for this role is $160,000 - $235,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.