Simulation Engineer - Avionics

About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably.

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. Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.

Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe. We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth.

Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds. About You and The Role Zipline builds autonomous aircraft that operate in demanding real-world environments where electronic systems must continue to function through vibration, shock, temperature extremes, weather exposure, manufacturing variation, and years of fleet operation.

The reliability of an electronic module depends not only on its electrical design, but also on its structural integrity, thermal performance, packaging architecture, material selection, fastening strategy, and interactions with surrounding assemblies. As a Simulation Engineer for Avionics, you will own the simulation strategy that enables robust electronic hardware from concept through production and fleet deployment. You will develop structural, thermal, and multi-physics models that predict how avionics, compute modules, sensors, communication systems, and power electronics behave throughout their operating life.

Your work will directly influence architecture decisions, design margins, manufacturing approaches, and validation strategies before hardware is built. You will work closely with Mechanical, Electrical, RF , EMC , Optical, Systems, Reliability, Manufacturing, and Test engineers. Rather than serving as a downstream analysis resource, you will help drive design decisions through first-principles engineering, high-fidelity simulation, and correlation with physical testing.

What You'Ll Do

Own the simulation strategy for electronic modules and electromechanical assemblies throughout concept development, design, validation, production ramp, and field support. Develop structural finite element models for electronics housings, PCB assemblies, brackets, connectors, flex circuits, fasteners, heat sinks, shields, and integrated avionics modules. Perform static structural analyses including contact mechanics, bolt preload, fastener retention, housing deformation, sealing interfaces, component stresses, and structural load paths.

Perform dynamic analyses including modal, harmonic response, random vibration, shock, and fatigue to evaluate durability throughout transportation, manufacturing, and flight environments. Develop thermal simulations for electronics cooling using conduction, convection, and radiation to ensure components remain within operating limits during all mission phases.