Zipline International Inc.
Senior/Staff Systems Modeling Engineer, Electric Propulsion
South San Francisco, California, USA · Staff+
Stay score
odds of building a lasting career here
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~61% per draw at Level IV). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
Personalize to your clock →H-1B wage level
the lottery is wage-weighted — each level is one more entry
$9,821 more — $189,821 — moves this role to Level IV and 4 lottery entries. That figure is inside the range the employer already advertised.
Based on the DOL prevailing wage for this occupation and worksite, a base salary of $189,821 would place this position at wage Level IV. That figure is within the posted range, and I'd like to target it. This role classifies under "Electrical Engineers" for prevailing-wage purposes.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Electrical Engineers (17-2071) · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Wage level is derived by USCIS from the offered wage, occupation and worksite; the occupation shown is inferred from the job title.
Employer immigration record
from this employer's Department of Labor filings
Files H-1B transfers
Sourced from Department of Labor LCA, PERM and prevailing-wage disclosure data. Employer matching is by name, so figures may be split across an employer's legal entities. Absence of a filing means none appears in our copy of the data, not that none exists.
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About the role
- About Zipline Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service.
- Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products.
- The drone is only 15% of what we've built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.
Responsibilities
- Own the electric-propulsion modeling roadmap, framework, validation standards, and deployment of validated models across aircraft programs.
- Lead trade studies that inform propulsion architecture, sizing, operating limits, thermal management, control strategies, and performance optimization.
- Develop and validate physics-based models of electric propulsion systems across multiple levels of fidelity, supporting aircraft simulation, hardware design, controls development, and fleet operations.
- Design and lead characterization campaigns for parameter identification and model validation, defining test requirements, instrumentation, and procedures for dynamometer, thrust stand, wind tunnel, and thermal testing.
- Build and own clean, modular, object-oriented modeling frameworks and engineering tools that are maintainable, reusable, and scalable across aircraft programs.
- Partner closely with electrical, mechanical, thermal, controls, flight test, manufacturing, and fleet operations teams to translate modeling insights into better products and engineering decisions.
- 8+ years of industry experience developing and validating physics-based models for electric powertrains, aerospace systems, electric vehicles, robotics, or other complex electro-mechanical systems.
- Strong heat-transfer fundamentals and experience building, parameterizing, and validating lumped-parameter thermal networks for electric machines or power electronics.
- Track record of using quantitative analysis and modeling to drive engineering decisions, including design trade studies, operating limits, performance optimization, or system architecture decisions.
- Demonstrated ability to design experimental characterization campaigns for parameter identification and model validation, including defining test plans, instrumentation, and measurement requirements.
Requirements
- Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, Julia, Rust, or similar languages, with experience developing clean, modular, object-oriented engineering code and reusable modeling frameworks.
Nice to have
- M.S. or Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
- Familiarity with motor and inverter loss mechanisms and modeling approaches.
- Experience using high-fidelity electromagnetic and thermal simulation tools such as ANSYS Motor-CAD, ANSYS Maxwell, JMAG, COMSOL, ANSYS Icepak, or similar.
- Familiarity with production telemetry, fleet operations, or hardware test data for engineering model validation and continuous improvement.
- What Else You Need To Know
- We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech.
- If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!
- Voluntary Self-Identification
Compensation
- The starting salary range for this role is $180,000 - $255,000.
Benefits
- With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.
Company info
- We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere.
- We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.
This listing is sourced directly from Zipline International Inc.'s careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.