Design Engineer Jobs in San Francisco, CA
Design Engineer jobs in San Francisco are in strong demand, concentrated in SoMa, the Mission District, and the Financial District across hardware, biotech, and advanced manufacturing. Employers hiring right now include GitHub, OpenAI, and Anthropic. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
Find Design Engineer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 882+ Design Engineer jobs
About the Team
DoorDash completes over 2.5 billion deliveries per year and is investing heavily in the next generation of delivery automation. This role is part of a small, high-impact team building a new autonomous system from the ground up, with the potential to eventually operate at a massive global scale. We haven't publicly announced this specific project yet.
We are seeking a highly capable, driven, and passionate mechanical engineer to design and develop high performance electric motors. The primary application of these motors is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propulsion. There are other important motors on our aircraft and within ground equipment that we may decide to develop in house as well.
About the Role
This is an exploratory product space with significant opportunity for architectural ownership. This role is on-site in San Francisco's mission district at least 3 days per week. Availability to be onsite 5 days per week is required with flexibility to work from home as appropriate. Occasional travel to suppliers is expected. You will operate in a very fast-paced, prototype-driven environment where hands-on engineering and rapid iteration are encouraged. We provide access to a full machine shop with welding equipment, additive manufacturing tools, electrical integration tools, and significant in-house test capability to enable efficient concept-to-hardware development. This is a senior role that offers autonomy, cross-functional collaboration, mentoring, and opportunities for increasing responsibility.
You're excited about this opportunity because...
- Collaborate closely with:
- Electro-mechanical design experts on winding and magnet design.
- Internal, domestic and foreign manufacturing partners
- Electrical, systems, structural, aerodynamics, reliability, and test engineers as well as industrial design to refine requirements.
- Design mass and volume optimized rotor and stator structures.
- Bearing selection and bearing system design.
- Electrical wiring and connector selection and integration.
- Motor sensor selection and integration (rotary encoders, temperature, etc.)
- Perform structural and thermal finite element analysis (FEA) to optimize performance and reliability.
- Start to finish ownership of motors from concept through production.
- Build prototypes, fixtures, and test hardware using CNC tools and 3D printers.
- Design for outdoor commercial operation including ingress protection and harsh environmental survival.
We're excited about you because...
- Mechanical engineering bachelors degree and 3+ years of experience.
- Experience with dynamic mechanical systems (motors, actuators, mechanisms, etc.)
- Strong 3D modeling (CAD) skills for complex parts and assemblies.
- Self sufficient with at least basic structural and thermal simulation.
- Self sufficient with hands-on prototyping, metal fabrication, 3D printing.
- Competence with assembly and test fixture design.
- Familiar with electromechanical integration and wiring practices.
- Experience designing hardware for outdoor or harsh environments.
- Strong understanding of manufacturability and assembly methods.
- Comfortable working in an exploratory, fast-paced environment.
- Bonus points for experience with electric motor manufacturing processes and equipment.
About DoorDash
At DoorDash, our mission to empower local economies shapes how our team members move quickly, learn, and reiterate in order to make impactful decisions that display empathy for our range of users—from Dashers to merchant partners to consumers. We are a technology and logistics company that started by enabling door-to-door delivery, and we are looking for team members who can help us go from a company that is known as the place you order food to a company that people turn to for any and all goods.
DoorDash is growing rapidly and changing constantly, which gives our team members the opportunity to share their unique perspectives, solve new challenges, and own their careers. We're committed to supporting employees' happiness, healthiness, and overall well-being by providing comprehensive benefits and perks including premium healthcare, wellness expense reimbursement, paid parental leave and more.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
We're committed to growing and empowering a more inclusive community within our company, industry, and cities. That's why we hire and cultivate diverse teams of people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that true innovation happens when everyone has room at the table and the tools, resources, and opportunity to excel.
Statement of Non-Discrimination: In keeping with our beliefs and goals, no employee or applicant will face discrimination or harassment based on: race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, or veteran status. Above and beyond discrimination and harassment based on "protected categories," we also strive to prevent other subtler forms of inappropriate behavior (i.e., stereotyping) from ever gaining a foothold in our office. Whether blatant or hidden, barriers to success have no place at DoorDash. We value a diverse workforce – people who identify as women, non-binary or gender non-conforming, LGBTQIA+, American Indian or Native Alaskan, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, differently-abled, caretakers and parents, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Thank you to the Level Playing Field Institute for this statement of non-discrimination.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.
If you need any accommodations, please inform your recruiting contact upon initial connection.
Notice to Applicants for Jobs Located in NYC or Remote Jobs Associated With Office in NYC Only
We used Covey as part of our hiring and/or promotional process for jobs in NYC and certain features may qualify it as an AEDT in NYC. As part of the hiring and/or promotion process, we provided Covey with job requirements and candidate submitted applications. We began using Covey Scout for Inbound from August 21, 2023, through December 21, 2023. We resumed using Covey Scout for Inbound again on June 29, 2024, and ceased using Covey Scout for Inbound on April 30, 2026.
The Covey tool has been reviewed by an independent auditor. Results of the audit may be viewed here: https://getcovey.com/nyc-local-law-144.
About the Team
DoorDash completes over 2.5 billion deliveries per year and is investing heavily in the next generation of delivery automation. This role is part of a small, high-impact team building a new autonomous system from the ground up, with the potential to eventually operate at a massive global scale. We haven't publicly announced this specific project yet.
We are seeking a highly capable, driven, and passionate mechanical engineer to design and develop high performance electric motors. The primary application of these motors is unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) propulsion. There are other important motors on our aircraft and within ground equipment that we may decide to develop in house as well.
About the Role
This is an exploratory product space with significant opportunity for architectural ownership. This role is on-site in San Francisco's mission district at least 3 days per week. Availability to be onsite 5 days per week is required with flexibility to work from home as appropriate. Occasional travel to suppliers is expected. You will operate in a very fast-paced, prototype-driven environment where hands-on engineering and rapid iteration are encouraged. We provide access to a full machine shop with welding equipment, additive manufacturing tools, electrical integration tools, and significant in-house test capability to enable efficient concept-to-hardware development. This is a senior role that offers autonomy, cross-functional collaboration, mentoring, and opportunities for increasing responsibility.
You're excited about this opportunity because...
- Collaborate closely with:
- Electro-mechanical design experts on winding and magnet design.
- Internal, domestic and foreign manufacturing partners
- Electrical, systems, structural, aerodynamics, reliability, and test engineers as well as industrial design to refine requirements.
- Design mass and volume optimized rotor and stator structures.
- Bearing selection and bearing system design.
- Electrical wiring and connector selection and integration.
- Motor sensor selection and integration (rotary encoders, temperature, etc.)
- Perform structural and thermal finite element analysis (FEA) to optimize performance and reliability.
- Start to finish ownership of motors from concept through production.
- Build prototypes, fixtures, and test hardware using CNC tools and 3D printers.
- Design for outdoor commercial operation including ingress protection and harsh environmental survival.
We're excited about you because...
- Mechanical engineering bachelors degree and 3+ years of experience.
- Experience with dynamic mechanical systems (motors, actuators, mechanisms, etc.)
- Strong 3D modeling (CAD) skills for complex parts and assemblies.
- Self sufficient with at least basic structural and thermal simulation.
- Self sufficient with hands-on prototyping, metal fabrication, 3D printing.
- Competence with assembly and test fixture design.
- Familiar with electromechanical integration and wiring practices.
- Experience designing hardware for outdoor or harsh environments.
- Strong understanding of manufacturability and assembly methods.
- Comfortable working in an exploratory, fast-paced environment.
- Bonus points for experience with electric motor manufacturing processes and equipment.
About DoorDash
At DoorDash, our mission to empower local economies shapes how our team members move quickly, learn, and reiterate in order to make impactful decisions that display empathy for our range of users—from Dashers to merchant partners to consumers. We are a technology and logistics company that started by enabling door-to-door delivery, and we are looking for team members who can help us go from a company that is known as the place you order food to a company that people turn to for any and all goods.
DoorDash is growing rapidly and changing constantly, which gives our team members the opportunity to share their unique perspectives, solve new challenges, and own their careers. We're committed to supporting employees' happiness, healthiness, and overall well-being by providing comprehensive benefits and perks including premium healthcare, wellness expense reimbursement, paid parental leave and more.
Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion
We're committed to growing and empowering a more inclusive community within our company, industry, and cities. That's why we hire and cultivate diverse teams of people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that true innovation happens when everyone has room at the table and the tools, resources, and opportunity to excel.
Statement of Non-Discrimination: In keeping with our beliefs and goals, no employee or applicant will face discrimination or harassment based on: race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, or veteran status. Above and beyond discrimination and harassment based on "protected categories," we also strive to prevent other subtler forms of inappropriate behavior (i.e., stereotyping) from ever gaining a foothold in our office. Whether blatant or hidden, barriers to success have no place at DoorDash. We value a diverse workforce – people who identify as women, non-binary or gender non-conforming, LGBTQIA+, American Indian or Native Alaskan, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, differently-abled, caretakers and parents, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Thank you to the Level Playing Field Institute for this statement of non-discrimination.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.
If you need any accommodations, please inform your recruiting contact upon initial connection.
Notice to Applicants for Jobs Located in NYC or Remote Jobs Associated With Office in NYC Only
We used Covey as part of our hiring and/or promotional process for jobs in NYC and certain features may qualify it as an AEDT in NYC. As part of the hiring and/or promotion process, we provided Covey with job requirements and candidate submitted applications. We began using Covey Scout for Inbound from August 21, 2023, through December 21, 2023. We resumed using Covey Scout for Inbound again on June 29, 2024, and ceased using Covey Scout for Inbound on April 30, 2026.
The Covey tool has been reviewed by an independent auditor. Results of the audit may be viewed here: https://getcovey.com/nyc-local-law-144.
See All 882+ Design Engineer Jobs in San Francisco
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Find Design Engineer JobsDesign Engineer Job Market in San Francisco
Who's Hiring
- GitHub83
- OpenAI83
- Anthropic83
- DoorDash55
- KUNZ28K
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software248
- Science & Research193
- Distribution & Wholesale28
- Construction & Real Estate28
- Consulting & Professional Services28
Design Engineer Jobs in San Francisco: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a design engineer job in San Francisco?
Focus your search on San Francisco's hardware and consumer electronics companies in SoMa, biotech firms in Mission Bay, and defense and aerospace contractors near the Caltrain corridor. Candidates who stand out locally combine CAD proficiency with experience in rapid prototyping or product development cycles. A portfolio showing shipped products or cross-functional collaboration with manufacturing teams carries significant weight with San Francisco hiring managers.
Which companies hire design engineers in San Francisco?
Employers hiring design engineers in San Francisco right now include GitHub, OpenAI, and Anthropic, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Francisco's employer mix skews toward consumer tech startups, medical device companies, and established hardware firms that maintain design and engineering functions in the city.
Are there remote design engineer jobs in San Francisco?
Yes, though with limits: design engineering often requires hands-on prototyping and lab access, so fully remote roles are less common than in purely software-focused fields. About 32% of design engineer openings tied to San Francisco are remote or hybrid as of August 2026, with hybrid arrangements most common for roles centered on CAD modeling, documentation, or systems-level design work.
How can I get a design engineer job in San Francisco with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path in San Francisco is targeting associate or junior design engineer roles at consumer hardware startups in SoMa or medical device companies in Mission Bay, which regularly hire candidates straight from university programs. Contract positions and design co-ops at mid-size firms are also a common first step. A strong portfolio of personal or academic projects demonstrating CAD skills and a functional prototype gives local candidates a concrete edge over applicants with credentials alone.
Which industries hire the most design engineers in San Francisco?
The sectors hiring the most design engineers in San Francisco are Technology & Software, Science & Research, and Distribution & Wholesale, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of August 2026. San Francisco's concentration of consumer hardware companies, biotech research operations in Mission Bay, and clean energy startups drives consistent demand for design engineers with product development and systems design backgrounds.
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