Senior Mechanical Engineer, Ground Systems

Location: Mountain View, California, United States

Workplace: on_site

Employment Type: full

Description

Matternet designs, builds, and operates autonomous drone networks for fast, low-cost, low-emission delivery. We’re seeking a Senior Mechanical Engineer to lead the design, prototyping, validation, and production of our ground systems.

Matternet Stations ground systems are a core part of our system, providing a safe, automated interface for drones to land, charge, and exchange payloads. They enable continuous, reliable operations and play a critical role in making autonomous delivery practical at scale.

In this role, you’ll own electromechanical subsystems end-to-end, working across electrical, software, safety, operations, and manufacturing teams. This is a hands-on position combining deep engineering analysis with rapid prototyping, testing, and field validation.

You Will:

• Lead concept-to-production mechanical engineering for Stations and other ground systems that support charging, payload handling, security and environmental protection.
• Translate system requirements into robust mechanical designs for enclosures, door and actuator systems, latching/locking mechanisms, landing-platform interfaces and FOD/propeller-safety features.
• Perform structural, vibration and thermal analyses (FEA, modal, thermal) and iterate designs to meet reliability and survivability goals for outdoor operation.
• Design and validate mechanical systems for reliable, high-cycle operation in a variety of environmental conditions (snow, ice, heavy rain, hail, wind) and for appropriate ingress protection.
• Integrate mechanical systems with power and charging hardware, backup power, cable routing and enclosure safety considerations.
• Define thermal management strategies for enclosures and battery or electronics compartments and validate those strategies with testing.
• Create and run validation plans and test campaigns (lab and field) and coordinate necessary electrical and safety testing.
• Drive producibility: design for manufacturability, tolerance control, tooling and test-fixture definition, supplier handoff and maintainability in the field.
• Mentor junior engineers, lead design reviews, and produce high-quality documentation and release packages.
• Participate in field installations, commissioning and flight/asset tests as needed.

Requirements

• 7+ years of mechanical engineering experience designing electromechanical systems (experience in robotics, station/dock design, aerospace, automotive or similar is a plus).
• Strong hands-on design experience with CAD (SolidWorks or equivalent) and FEA tools.
• Proven ability to design actuated mechanisms, latching/locking systems, and motion/drive elements for reliable, repeatable operation.
• Experience designing enclosures and seals for outdoor use and familiarity with environmental protection strategies.
• Practical knowledge of thermal design for ensuring proper electronics packaging.
• Experience integrating mechanical designs with electrical systems, including safe routing and mounting of low-voltage (60VDC) and batteries that integrate with the grid.
• Track record of rapid prototyping, hands-on validation and closing issues discovered during test.
• Experience with design for manufacturability, supplier handoff and building production-ready documentation.
• Excellent cross-functional collaboration and communication skills; able to work closely with systems, EE, SW, operations and manufacturing.
• Comfortable working onsite in a fast-paced environment with frequent hands-on activity in lab and field. 

Benefits

At Matternet, we’re advancing a new era of logistics, one where autonomous drones deliver what matters faster, cleaner, and more efficiently. We know our mission is challenging, but it's worth it, and we are committed to taking care of the people who make it possible.

• Compensation: The expected starting range for this role is $160,000–$220,000, based on San Francisco Bay Area market data. This range reflects the target starting pay for candidates who meet the minimum qualifications for the role. Final compensation will depend on factors such as your experience, skills, level, location, and potential impact.
• Total Rewards: In addition to base pay, our compensation packages include equity and benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage, flexible spending accounts (FSA), unlimited paid time off, company holidays, and a 401(k) plan.