Senior Systems Modeling Engineer

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.

You will be part of Zipline's Systems Modeling Team, which develops physics-based models used to architect, optimize, and validate Zipline's aircraft hardware and operational systems. Electric propulsion performance directly impacts aircraft efficiency, mission capability, thermal management, operating cost, and fleet reliability.

You will lead the development of Zipline's electric propulsion modeling capability, spanning motors, inverters, gearboxes, and propellers—from component physics through integrated aircraft and fleet-level behavior. Your models will guide propulsion hardware design, operating limits, thermal management, and control strategies, enabling better engineering decisions throughout the product lifecycle.

This is an engineering ownership role—not a simulation support role. You will drive the complete modeling lifecycle, from first-principles model development and parameter identification through experimental validation, deployment into engineering workflows, and continuous improvement using laboratory testing and production flight data.

• 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.

• Drive engineering and operational decisions through quantitative analysis and trade studies, influencing propulsion architecture, operating limits, thermal management, control strategies, aircraft performance, and fleet reliability.

• Build and own clean, modular, object-oriented modeling frameworks and engineering tools that are maintainable, reusable, and scalable across aircraft programs.

• Continuously improve model fidelity by comparing predictions against laboratory testing and production flight data, identifying