Senior Software Engineer, Airspace Platform

Zipline International Inc.; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline, based in South San Francisco, is expanding its autonomous airspace platform. We’re seeking a Senior Software Engineer who thrives in ambiguous, early-stage environments and enjoys turning complex safety and operational requirements into reliable products.

You will help shape architecture and product as we move from concepts to deployed systems, with a focus on distributed services, cloud deployments (AWS), and data modeling for airspace coordination.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering reliable software in complex/high-consequence environments.
• Strong background in distributed systems, APIs, and data modeling.
• Ability to communicate tradeoffs under ambiguity.
• Experience operating production services in cloud environments (AWS/Kubernetes helpful).
• Product-minded with empathy for operators and users of the systems you build.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Track record owning technically complex projects end-to-end.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of airspace-management capabilities for one of the world’s most active commercial drone networks.
• Build core services for shared-airspace coordination, flight deconfliction, and simulation.
• Translate safety, operational, and interoperability requirements into clear system designs and product decisions.
• Design systems for correctness, resilience, testability, observability, and auditability.
• Own projects across the software lifecycle, from technical discovery and architecture through implementation, validation, rollout, and operation.
• Design APIs and data models that support coordination across internal systems and external airspace participants.
• Contribute to relevant open-source projects and industry interoperability efforts.
• Raise the engineering bar through technical leadership, thoughtful reviews, and mentorship.

Skills

Reliable software systems

Distributed systems

Tradeoffs under ambiguity

Cloud deployment (AWS/Kubernetes)

Product mindset

Communication skills

Project ownership

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

Job description

Zipline, based in South San Francisco, is expanding its autonomous airspace platform. We’re seeking a Senior Software Engineer who thrives in ambiguous, early-stage environments and enjoys turning complex safety and operational requirements into reliable products.

You will help shape architecture and product as we move from concepts to deployed systems, with a focus on distributed services, cloud deployments (AWS), and data modeling for airspace coordination.