Software Engineer (Test Infrastructure)

Zipline; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Zipline is seeking a Senior Software Systems Validation Engineer to lead end-to-end evaluation from simulation through full-system flight testing.

You will bridge Systems Engineering and Software Development, owning validation strategy and evidence that reveals capability gains, gaps, regressions, and safety risks. Design edge-case scenarios and build automated monitors to guide release decisions.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of software development, software systems engineering, or software validation experience in robotic systems
• Experience performing validation across simulation and real hardware
• Degree in Computer Science, Software/Systems/Aerospace Engineering or related field

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end evaluation from simulation through full-system flight testing
• Define system-level validation strategy for software performance, reliability, and safety
• Design, implement, and execute nominal, adversarial, stress, and edge-case scenarios from simulation through flight testing
• Build metrics, visualizations, real-time performance and safety monitors, and automated tools
• Set validation exit criteria informing release, deployment, and operating-domain expansion decisions
• Debug failures across simulation, hardware, firmware, embedded software, and application software; document findings and escalate safety or performance risks
• Partner with test infrastructure and data platform teams to increase automated validation coverage and velocity

Skills

Python

SQL

MISRA C

Rust

C++

Embedded Linux

Perception

Motion planning

Navigation

Control

Estimation

Robotics

Data pipelines

Software validation

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS/Software/Systems/Aerospace

Job description

• Zipline’s autonomous drone delivery system relies on software that behaves safely and predictably across sensor drivers, perception, navigation, guidance and control, motion planning, power management, actuator control and fleet autonomy
• As a Senior Software Systems Validation Engineer, you will lead end-to-end evaluation from simulation through full-system flight testing
• You will bridge Systems Engineering and Software Development, owning validation strategy and the evidence that exposes capability gains, gaps, regressions, and safety risks
• Your work will inform engineering decisions for large-scale deployment and operating-domain expansion across aircraft performance, delivery operations, docking systems, and fleet orchestration
• Define system-level validation strategy for software performance, reliability, and safety
• Design, implement, and execute nominal, adversarial, stress, and edge-case scenarios from simulation through full-system flight testing
• Build metrics, visualizations, real-time performance and safety monitors, and automated tools that reveal capability changes and regressions
• Set validation evidence and exit criteria that inform release, deployment, and operating-domain expansion decisions
• Debug failures across simulation, hardware, firmware, embedded software, and application software; clearly document findings and elevate unresolved safety or performance risks
• Partner with test infrastructure and data platform teams to increase automated validation coverage, efficiency, and precision while maintaining development and deployment velocity

Strong experience in one or more relevant domains: embedded Linux, perception, motion planning, navigation, control, estimation, dynamics, connected systems, or power managementExperience developing nominal, adversarial, stress, and edge-case validation for autonomous roboticsExperience applying risk-assessment tools and techniques and deriving software safety or performance requirements from functional safety requirements or similar requirements decompositionsProficiency with Python and SQL, plus programming languages used in safety-critical applications such as MISRA C, Rust, or C++Experience root-causing failures in complex autonomous systems and working with large datasets in production pipelines3+ years of software development, software systems engineering, or software validation experience with robotic systemsBachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Systems Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field