Director of Hardware Engineering - Dropbox

The role

You will lead the mechanical, electrical, test, and technician teams for Dropbox, Zipline's ground-side hardware system. You will own hardware execution from architecture through design, validation, launch, and scalable deployment.

What you will do

• Own Dropbox hardware execution across ME, EE, test, technician work, integration, validation, and release readiness.
• Lead system-level architecture tradeoffs.
• Drive the hardware path from prototype through production-intent design.
• Build the hardware team's operating system including priorities, staffing, and technical reviews.
• Manage technical risk across mechanisms, harnesses, architecture, and safety.
• Partner with firmware, autonomy, RF, cloud, operations, manufacturing, supply chain, regulatory, and customer-facing teams.
• Create durable validation evidence for safety, robustness, and reliability.
• Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action for design, test, production, and field issues.
• Hire, coach, and manage a multidisciplinary team of engineers and technicians.
• Make decisions regarding speed, robustness, complexity, cost, and future extensibility.

Required qualifications

• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary hardware teams.
• Outstanding mechanical and electrical system judgment.
• Experience with electromechanical products involving motion, sensing, harnessing, safety interlocks, environmental exposure, and production validation.
• Demonstrated ability to manage hardware development from architecture through builds, test, supplier engagement, manufacturing handoff, and field support.
• Strong product judgment around user experience, reliability, manufacturability, serviceability, and cost.
• Ability to build team structure, clarify ownership, and turn ambiguous technical work into executable plans.
• Comfort operating across engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, operations, regulatory, and leadership stakeholders.
• Clear written and verbal communication.
• Bias toward evidence including test data, prototyping, design reviews, failure analysis, and explicit acceptance criteria.

Benefits

• Equity compensation
• Overtime pay
• Discretionary annual or performance bonuses
• Sales incentives
• Medical insurance
• Dental insurance
• Vision insurance
• Paid time off

About the company

Zipline is the world's largest and most experienced drone delivery service. They design, build, and operate an autonomous logistics system to deliver food, medicine, and essential goods.