Senior Electrical Engineer - Ground Systems

Senior Electrical Engineer – Ground Systems Full-time | South San Francisco, CA About Zipline Zipline is transforming global logistics. Our autonomous drone networks deliver critical supplies—blood in Rwanda, COVID-19 vaccines in Ghana, same-day parcels for Walmart—cutting emissions, easing road congestion and bringing universal access to essential goods. Role As a Senior Electrical Engineer you will architect and deliver high-performance power electronics for our drone-charging and docking infrastructure. The Ground Systems team owns every piece of ground hardware that enables autonomous flight: automated docking, battery charging, thermal management, communications and pre-flight checks. From concept through global scale production, your designs will power the next generation of instant logistics. Responsibilities - Own full electrical design cycle of drone-charging systems: requirements, schematics, PCB layout, validation for mass production - Drive architecture decisions balancing power density, safety, cost and reliability - Lead trade studies, risk burn-down and certification to UL / IEC standards - Collaborate with mechanical, embedded, reliability and manufacturing teams on DFM, test and deployment - Travel occasionally to suppliers and field sites for bring-up and troubleshooting Requirements - B.S./M.S. in Electrical Engineering or equivalent - 5+ years hands-on power electronics design – AC-DC, DC-DC, battery charging, SiC/GaN devices - Deep knowledge of converter topologies, magnetics design and EMI mitigation - Proficiency with schematic capture, PCB layout and simulation tools (Altium, SPICE) - Familiarity with high-speed digital interfaces (Ethernet, SPI, I²C, UART) - Strong lab skills: oscilloscope, power analyzer, spectrum analyzer, etc. - Authorization to work in the U.S. and ability to work onsite in South San Francisco Compensation Base cash range: USD 160,000 – 225,000 / year plus equity, bonus and comprehensive benefits.