Lead Embedded Systems Software Engineer

Do you want to change the world? Zipline uses drones to deliver critical and life-saving medicine to thousands of hospitals serving millions of people in multiple countries. Our mission is to provide every human on Earth with instant access to vital medical supplies. Join Zipline and help us make this a reality for billions of people!

Zipline is growing our team and needs an embedded systems leader who is excited to solve problems in real-time safety-critical software, working with an exceptional team. You will set ambitious goals, hold yourself and your team accountable, set technical standards, hire engineers that are smarter than yourself, and build a resilient and deeply fulfilled team to tackle challenges of ever-increasing difficulty.

At Zipline we value Servant Leadership; we have the opportunity--and responsibility--to serve our species with each delivery we make! We rely on every Zipliner to be a leader, regardless of their role or tenure, but we have very high expectations for those with people leadership responsibilities. Our leaders are here to serve those around them, and make more leaders--not followers. They listen carefully and do whatever it takes to help those around them be extraordinary. They often do this at the cost of their own ego and prestige. We will expect you to empower and strengthen the team, model the behaviors you want to see, and achieve excellence!

Engineers come into the office as needed during the pandemic. As public health restrictions are lifted, we are excited to collaborate and innovate together in-person at our office in South San Francisco!

Zipline designs and operates the world’s largest drone delivery service providing access to critical medical supplies. Leading the way in drone delivery often means exceeding the capabilities of what’s available off the shelf, and as a result we are engineering the majority of our system in-house. Inventing new robots and doubling down on the reliability of our systems is the critical path to delivering to our next billion customers--people whose lives will be meaningfully affected by smarter, more equitable access. Zipliners are forces of nature: We have been able to achieve things that most believe to be impossible.

People and Team:

• Manage a small team of embedded systems engineers
• Coach engineers to grow into technical leaders
• Hire embedded systems engineers that are more qualified than yourself
• Own the technical roadmap for your team. Anticipate resource needs internally and cross-functionally
• “Ruthlessly prioritize”

Technical:

• Architect and implement safety-critical embedded software systems
• Hold a high bar for technical quality through code review and process, creating a maintainable code base over time
• Continuously improve development and test tools and process
• Hold a high bar for validation and verification
• Support the design of electromechanical systems through component selection, design trades and experiments

People and Team:

• Success coaching, mentoring, and leveling up engineers (direct management experience ideal but not required)
• Experience recruiting and making hiring decisions
• Experience maintaining a roadmap, estimating schedules, and organizing planning

Technical:

• Strong skills in embedded software. We write C and C++ and run in Real Time Operating Systems, and increasingly Embedded Linux. We use Python for tools and server software. Rust experience is a plus.
• Experience using and augmenting automated test systems to verify embedded software
• Experience using data analysis to verify embedded software. Engineers at Zipline test their own software!
• Experience writing peripheral drivers, making operating system modifications, and writing software based on an electrical schematic or datasheet
• Experience implementing and simulating controls and estimation algorithms for dynamic systems beyond PID is useful but not required. E.g. state space, Kalman filters. We have a lot of moving parts!
• Experience with perception is also valuable

The ideal candidate may not have all of the skills and experience listed above. If any of these apply, you might be a good fit!

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!