Senior Embedded Firmware Engineer - Long Range Platform

Zipline; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking a Senior Embedded Software Engineer in South San Francisco to own low‑level and edge software that keeps our long‑range aircraft safe and reliable within a production delivery network.

You will work at the hardware/software boundary on flight‑ and safety‑critical embedded stacks, and on diagnostics and validation infrastructure used in the field. Strong C++/Rust, RTOS, and testing experience are essential.

Qualifications

• Extensive systems‑level embedded production code experience in C++ or Rust.
• Proficient in Python for test and telemetry tooling.
• Experience with bare‑metal and RTOS environments; embedded Linux a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own end‑to‑end embedded subsystems (firmware, drivers, runtime) for the long‑range platform.
• Deliver safety‑critical code on microcontrollers (bare‑metal/RTOS) and field‑validation tooling.
• Define reliability targets, instrument flight data, and monitor regressions for fleet performance.
• Lead hardware‑in‑the‑loop and field testing with cross‑functional teams to ensure production readiness.

Skills

C++

Rust

Python

RTOS

bare-metal

embedded Linux

Education

Bachelor's degree in EE/CS

Tools

JTAG

Oscilloscope

Logic Analyzer

Job description

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

Senior Embedded Software Engineer on the Long Range Platform (South San Francisco). You will own low-level and edge software that makes our long‑range aircraft safe, reliable, and operable across a production delivery network. This role sits at the hardware/software boundary: you will be accountable for flight‑ and safety‑critical embedded stacks running on embedded RTOS systems, and for the diagnostics and validation infrastructure that proves those stacks in the field. Your work directly affects aircraft reliability, mission completion rate, and field‑maintenance load across a distributed fleet.

What You'll Do

• Own one or more end‑to‑end embedded subsystems (firmware, drivers, runtime, monitoring) for the long‑range platform and be the primary technical owner for design, implementation, and production readiness.
• Deliver and maintain flight‑ and safety‑critical code on microcontrollers (bare‑metal/RTOS): drivers, device bring‑up, real‑time control interfaces, fault management, and graceful degradation logic.
• Define and ship measurable reliability and observability outcomes (MTTR, mission success rate, in‑field fault rates, test coverage targets). Instrument systems so flight‑data can be used to detect regressions and prioritize fixes.
• Lead hardware‑in‑the‑loop, bench, and field validation for changes you introduce; partner with systems, hardware, test engineering, and operations to create repeatable test plans and failure‑insertion exercises.
• Build and extend tooling for deterministic test, logging, post‑flight analysis, and automated regression tests to accelerate safe deployments across the fleet.
• Triage and resolve high‑severity field incidents: drive RCA, implement fixes, and own follow‑through until fleet metrics demonstrate resolution.
• Collaborate closely with avionics, systems engineering, manufacturing, and flight operations to set integration boundaries, certification inputs, and release criteria for software changes.

What You'll Bring

• Title/level: Senior Embedded Software Engineer as stated. Location: South San Francisco HQ.
• Must‑have technical skills: substantial systems‑level experience shipping embedded production code in C++ or Rust; strong familiarity with Python for test/telemetry tooling. Experience with bare‑metal and RTOS environments is required; experience with embedded Linux is nice to have.
• Production & safety experience: proven track record deploying and operating embedded software in safety‑or mission‑critical systems (aviation, robotics, industrial controls, or similar). Experience with fault management, deterministic real‑time requirements, and validation strategies is required.
• Debugging & hardware bring‑up: demonstrated ability to read schematics, bring up peripherals from datasheets, and debug hardware/software interaction using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG, and in‑field telemetry.
• Ownership & outcomes: history of owning subsystem delivery end‑to‑end, shipping repeatable test suites, and meeting quantified reliability targets (provide examples in interview).
• Logistics & intensity: comfortable with field testing cadence, occasional travel to flight‑test sites, and participating in incident response outside standard hours when critical fleet incidents occur.
• Education & experience: bachelor’s degree in EE/CS or equivalent experience; typically 5+ years in embedded/flight‑critical systems or equivalent demonstrated impact.

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!