Director of Hardware Engineering (Dropbox)

Zipline, a pioneering company in autonomous delivery systems. As the Director of Hardware Engineering, you will lead the development of Dropbox, our ground-side hardware system for autonomous package loading and transfer. You will oversee the mechanical, electrical, test, and technician teams, driving the hardware path from prototype to production.

About Zipline

You know have demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary hardware teams, challenging world class engineers to do the best work of their lives through fast product development cycles

Responsibilities

• You will also manage technical risk, partner with various teams, and create validation evidence for safety and reliability.
• This role requires strong product judgment, experience in hardware development, and the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams.
• Diriger l'exécution du matériel Dropbox, y compris l'intégration, la validation et la préparation à la sortie.
• Diriger les compromis d'architecture au niveau système en tenant compte de divers facteurs tels que le débit, la fiabilité et le coût.
• Gérer les risques techniques liés aux mécanismes mobiles, aux harnais dynamiques, à l'architecture des moteurs/senseurs.
• Experience with electromechanical products involving motion, sensing, harnessing, safety interlocks, environmental exposure, and production validation
• Strong product judgment around user experience, reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and cost, not just first-article performance
• Demonstrated ability to manage hardware development from architecture through builds, test, supplier engagement, manufacturing handoff, and field support
• Comfort operating across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, operations, regulatory, and leadership stakeholders
• Clear written and verbal communication, especially around technical risk, decision logs, trade studies, and launch readiness
• Bias toward evidence: test data, prototyping, design reviews, failure analysis, and explicit acceptance criteria
• Ability to build team structure, clarify ownership, and turn ambiguous technical work into executable plans

Requirements

• Outstanding mechanical and electrical system judgment, with enough depth to challenge architecture, test plans, and failure-mode assumptions

Pay

USD 225,000 - 275,000