Find & Apply For Optical / Laser Engineer Jobs in South San Francisco, California

Back to jobs New Mechanical Engineer, Camera & Optical Modules South San Francisco, California, USA Apply 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 and operates autonomous delivery systems that move critical goods reliably and safely. Cameras and optical modules provide critical perception inputs used by our aircraft and autonomous systems. Their mechanical design directly affects image quality, calibration stability, environmental robustness, electromagnetic compatibility, and ultimately the system's ability to operate safely. As a Mechanical Design Engineer for Camera and Optical Modules, you will own the mechanical architecture and detailed design of camera assemblies from early concept through validation, production ramp, and fleet operation. You will integrate image sensors, lenses, optical windows and filters, electronics, flexes, connectors, thermal paths, shielding, seals, and cleaning or contamination-control features into compact, lightweight, production-ready assemblies. This is a hands-on individual-contributor role. You will work at the boundary of mechanical engineering, optics, electronics, perception, thermal design, and high-volume manufacturing. Your designs must preserve alignment and image quality through vibration, temperature cycling, shock, contamination, weather exposure, and years of field operation. What You'll Do

• Own end-to-end mechanical design for camera and optical assemblies, including requirements, architecture, concept selection, CAD, drawings, specifications, tolerance analysis, BOMs, and production release.
• Translate perception, optical, electrical, environmental, and aircraft-level requirements into measurable mechanical requirements and acceptance criteria.
• Establish datum, alignment, and calibration strategies to control lens-to-sensor focus, tilt, decenter, optical-axis orientation, stereo baseline, and camera-to-vehicle boresight.
• Develop tolerance models that correlate component and assembly variation with image quality and perception performance, including focus retention, modulation transfer, calibration accuracy, and field-of-view stability.
• Design lightweight housings, mounts, lens barrels, optical-window interfaces, thermal paths, shields, seals, vents, and connector interfaces for high-volume manufacturing.
• Integrate image sensors, lenses, filters, PCBAs, SerDes electronics, flex circuits, connectors, heaters, cleaning devices, and local sensors into robust camera modules.
• Design for environmental durability, including protection against rain, dust, mud, insects, condensation, fogging, icing, UV exposure, cleaning chemicals, and other contamination sources that affect optical performance.
• Evaluate contamination-control solutions, including hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings, protective windows, heaters, air-based cleaning, ultrasonic cleaning, and shutters.
• Define EMI shielding, grounding, and bonding strategies across housings, lens apertures, sensor PCBs, flex circuits, and connector interfaces, ensuring intentional grounding without resonant or floating conductive structures.
• Perform first-principles analysis, hand calculations, tolerance analysis, structural FEA, thermal analysis, and vibration and fatigue assessments to establish robust design margins.
• Define and support mechanical, environmental, and image-quality validation testing, including vibration, shock, thermal cycling, humidity, ingress protection, solar loading, contamination, and lifetime exposure testing.
• Lead investigations into prototype, production, and field failures, identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and verify reduced recurrence rates.
• Maintain comprehensive interface control documentation, design assumptions, engineering analyses, validation evidence, and production release records. What You'll Bring
• Experience designing camera modules, optical instruments, perception sensors, robotics hardware, automotive electronics, aerospace hardware, or similarly compact electromechanical products.
• Strong mechanical engineering fundamentals, including structural mechanics, thermal design, material selection, bolted joints, adhesive joints, sealing, vibration, fatigue, and tolerance analysis.
• Advanced proficiency in CAD, GD&T, datum strategy, engineering drawing release, and tolerance stack-up analysis.
• Practical understanding of camera and optical alignment concepts, including focus, tilt, decenter, boresight, field of view, stereo baseline, calibration stability, and image-quality sensitivity.
• Experience with manufacturing processes such as precision machining, die casting, injection molding, stamping, optical bonding, adhesive dispensing, coatings, and clean assembly.
• Proven track record of resolving complex mechanical, optical, thermal, or intermittent field failures through disciplined root-cause analysis.
• Experience collaborating directly with suppliers and manufacturing teams to improve yield, process capability, cost, and assembly repeatability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including documenting engineering assumptions, residual risks, design margins, and production release recommendations.
• Ability to work onsite in South San Francisco with regular hands-on laboratory work.
• Willingness to travel to suppliers, manufacturers, and test locations as program needs dictate.
• Availability to provide occasional off-hours support during test campaigns, production ramps, or urgent field investigations. Nice to Have
• Experience with automotive, aerospace, drone, or robotic camera systems.
• Experience correlating mechanical variation with optical metrics such as MTF, distortion, focus, or calibration error.
• Experience with camera cleaning systems, optical coatings, condensation mitigation, or contamination detection.
• Familiarity with GMSL, MIPI, camera SerDes, local image processing, or high-speed camera interconnects.
• Experience designing EMI shielding and grounding solutions for camera modules and high-speed electronics.
• Experience developing mechanically stable stereo or multi-camera systems.
• Familiarity with automated optical alignment, calibration, and end-of-line image-quality testing. What Success Looks Like
• Deliver camera modules that consistently meet image quality, calibration, thermal, mass, and environmental performance requirements across manufacturing variation and operational life.
• Ensure optical alignment and focus remain stable through vibration, shock, temperature cycling, contamination, and extended fleet use.
• Drive designs from development through production while achieving agreed-upon yield, cost, cycle time, and supplier capability targets.
• Develop cleaning and environmental protection features that measurably reduce obscured images, maintenance requirements, and camera-related aircraft downtime.
• Implement mechanical and EMI design improvements that reduce camera-related perception faults, GNSS desense risks, and field failures.
• Create scalable mechanical architectures that support future camera generations, sensor upgrades, and cost reductions without requiring complete redesigns.

What Else You Need To Know Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. 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! Apply for this job

• indicates a required field First Name
• Last Name
• Preferred First Name Email
• Phone Country
• Phone
• 244 results found No results found Afghanistan +93 Åland Islands +358 Albania +355 Algeria +213 American Samoa +1 Andorra +376 Angola +244 Anguilla +1 Antigua & Barbuda +1 Argentina +54 Armenia +374 Aruba +297 Ascension Island +247 Australia +61 Austria +43 Azerbaijan +994 Bahamas +1 Bahrain +973 Bangladesh +880 Barbados +1 Belarus +375 Belgium +32 Belize +501 Benin +229 Bermuda +1 Bhutan +975 Bolivia +591 Bosnia & Herzegovina +387 Botswana +267 Brazil +55 British Indian Ocean Territory +246 British Virgin Islands +1 Brunei +673 Bulgaria +359 Burkina Faso +226 Burundi +257 Cambodia +855 Cameroon +237 Canada +1 Cape Verde +238 Caribbean Netherlands +599 Cayman Islands +1 Central African Republic +236 Chad +235 Chile +56 China +86 Christmas Island +61 Cocos (Keeling) Islands +61 Colombia +57 Comoros +269 Congo - Brazzaville +242 Congo - Kinshasa +243 Cook Islands +682 Costa Rica +506 Côte d'Ivoire +225 Croatia +385 Cuba +53 Curaçao +599 Cyprus +357 Czechia +420 Denmark +45 Djibouti +253 Dominica +1 Dominican Republic +1 Ecuador +593 Egypt +20 El Salvador +503 Equatorial Guinea +240 Eritrea +291 Estonia +372 Eswatini +268 Ethiopia +251 Falkland Islands +500 Faroe Islands +298 Fiji +679 Finland +358 France +33 French Guiana +594 French Polynesia +689 Gabon +241 Gambia +220 Georgia +995 Germany +49 Ghana +233 Gibraltar +350 Greece +30 Greenland +299 Grenada +1 Guadeloupe +590 Guam +1 Guatemala +502 Guernsey +44 Guinea +224 Guinea-Bissau +245 Guyana +592 Haiti +509 Honduras +504 Hong Kong SAR China +852 Hungary +36 Iceland +354 India +91 Indonesia +62 Iran +98 Iraq +964 Ireland +353 Isle of Man +44 Israel +972 Italy +39 Jamaica +1 Japan +81 Jersey +44 Jordan +962 Kazakhstan +7 Kenya +254 Kiribati +686 Kosovo +383 Kuwait +965 Kyrgyzstan +996 Laos +856 Latvia +371 Lebanon +961 Lesotho +266 Liberia +231 Libya +218 Liechtenstein +423 Lithuania +370 Luxembourg +352 Macao SAR China +853 Madagascar +261 Malawi +265 Malaysia +60 Maldives +960 Mali +223 Malta +356 Marshall Islands +692 Martinique +596 Mauritania +222 Mauritius +230 Mayotte +262 Mexico +52 Micronesia +691 Moldova +373 Monaco +377 Mongolia +976 Montenegro +382 Montserrat +1 Morocco +212 Mozambique +258 Myanmar (Burma) +95 Namibia +264 Nauru +674 Nepal +977 Netherlands +31 New Caledonia +687 New Zealand +64 Nicaragua +505 Niger +227 Nigeria +234 Niue +683 Norfolk Island +672 North Korea +850 North Macedonia +389 Northern Mariana Islands +1 Norway +47 Oman +968 Pakistan +92 Palau +680 Palestinian Territories +970 Panama +507 Papua New Guinea +675 Paraguay +595 Peru +51 Philippines +63 Poland +48 Portugal +351 Puerto Rico +1 Qatar +974 Réunion +262 Romania +40 Russia +7 Rwanda +250 Samoa +685 San Marino +378 São Tomé & Príncipe +239 Saudi Arabia +966 Senegal +221 Serbia +381 Seychelles +248 Sierra Leone +232 Singapore +65 Sint Maarten +1 Slovakia +421 Slovenia +386 Solomon Islands +677 Somalia +252 South Africa +27 South Korea +82 South Sudan +211 Spain +34 Sri Lanka +94 St.

Barthélemy +590 St. Helena +290 St. Kitts & Nevis +1 St. Lucia +1 St. Martin +590 St. Pierre & Miquelon +508 St. Vincent & Grenadines +1 Sudan +249 Suriname +597 Svalbard & Jan Mayen +47 Sweden +46 Switzerland +41 Syria +963 Taiwan +886 Tajikistan +992 Tanzania +255 Thailand +66 Timor-Leste +670 Togo +228 Tokelau +690 Tonga +676 Trinidad & Tobago +1 Tunisia +216 Turkey +90 Turkmenistan +993 Turks & Caicos Islands +1 Tuvalu +688 U.S. Virgin Islands +1 Uganda +256 Ukraine +380 United Arab Emirates +971 United Kingdom +44 United States +1 Uruguay +598 Uzbekistan +998 Vanuatu +678 Vatican City +39 Venezuela +58 Vietnam +84 Wallis & Futuna +681 Western Sahara +212 Yemen +967 Zambia +260 Zimbabwe +263 Location (City)

• Locate me Resume/CV Attach Attach Dropbox Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf Cover Letter Attach Attach Dropbox Enter manually Enter manually Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf LinkedIn Profile Website Voluntary Self-Identification For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.

Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file. As set forth in Zipline 's Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law. Gender Select... Are you Hispanic/Latino? Select... Race & Ethnicity Definitions If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows: A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability. A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service. An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense. An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985. Veteran Status Select... Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability Form CC-305 Page 1 of 1 OMB Control Number 1250-0005 Expires 04/30/2026 Why are you being asked to complete this form? We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years. Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp . How do you know if you have a disability? A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your "major life activities." If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability.