As a member of the Embedded Systems team at Zipline, you will go deep in your area of ownership, becoming an expert in the problem domain, defining requirements for systems, rapidly developing creative and simple solutions, and proving with testing and data that the system meets the rigors and edge-cases of real-world deployment. Embedded Systems engineers also contribute beyond their field--reviewing schematics, building user interfaces, designing hardware in the loop test systems, and more.

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. Doubling down on the reliability of our systems and inventing new robots is a critical path to delivering to our next billion customers--people whose lives will be meaningfully affected by smarter, more equitable access. We are deliberately expanding our embedded systems capabilities and adding to the ranks of our experienced team to achieve these goals.

 What You'll Do

• You’ll work hands-on prototyping novel delivery aircraft systems. Your team will be iterating rapidly to test ideas around aerodynamics, controls, and delivery for our next generation aircraft.
• You’ll develop software to run missions, interface with sensors and actuators, compute trajectories, profile mechanical systems, control dynamic systems, and more.
• You’ll test your software on real aircraft at our secret test site, and work alongside mechanical and control systems engineers to identify and fix problems in a cross-disciplinary setting.
• You’ll use and modify custom simulation tools to design and de-risk flight test plans ahead of time.
• You will be mentored by a world-class embedded systems engineer committed to your learning and growth

  What You'll Bring 

Please complete this required challenge to apply: https://flyzipline.app.box.com/s/scnx6p86h1a6oevuqnpgdlyux8f1cp7z

We think this game will be a fun but unbiased, execution-focused (vs resume-focused) way of seeing if we're all a match for each other. See here for a sneak peak at what the game looks like:  https://youtu.be/xPJ420mRD64  (you can fly a drone, drop packages, recover the aircraft, etc.!)

What else?:

• You've designed, built and deployed electromechanical systems and robots way outside the classroom. Previous interns have built submarines, solar cars in the Australian outback, electric boats, rockets, etc.
• You’re comfortable working in C, C++, and Python, and have developed software for a real time operating system or embedded linux.
• You have a basic understanding of kinematics and dynamics, and can use matrices to work with rotations, transformations, and trajectories.
• You can work independently taking ownership of projects with ambiguous requirements.
• Bonus: Experience with the Robot Operating System (ROS), Docker and/or Julia.

Reminder to complete the challenge here and submit the link to your solution to apply:

https://flyzipline.app.box.com/s/scnx6p86h1a6oevuqnpgdlyux8f1cp7z

NOTE: Applications that do not include a solution to this challenge will not be considered. This is separate request from the link to your own projects.

Please be sure to:

1. Download the zip sim
2. Write the relevant code
3. Zip your solution and up load it to a publicly available URL or Google drive (be sure to change sharing permissions to "Anyone on the internet with this link can view") 
4. Then submit the link to it in the last field in the application below.

If you encounter any issues accessing the challenge, please reach out to [email protected]

Past Intern Projects

• Build a high data rate voltage and current telemetry system that runs continuously in our RTOS using ADCs, I2C devices and GPIO interrupts. Test the system with unit tests and in HITL. Deploy it to all aircraft and ground systems in Rwanda, Ghana and the U.S. Build data analysis tools to check data across the fleet. Use this data to root cause tricky failures that improve the reliability of our fleet so that patients get life saving medical products when they need them
• Rapidly iterate on the concepts for a new perception system, integrating compute modules and sensor prototypes to fly a proof of concept ASAP and de-risk key aspects of the approach.
• Build a system to multiplex batteries between chargers, reducing charging times and operator fatigue. Iterate on the design and user interface with the engineering and operations team, traveling to our test site in Davis with a mocked up user interface to get feedback. Deploy the system into the field, allowing us to finally serve hospitals that have been waiting for medical products.
• Immediately respond to, reproduce and root cause failures so that everyone can get their medical products when they need them
• Find ways to make the codebase better for other engineers through every feature built, for example removing tech debt or cruft, adding debugging or logging tools, increasing test coverage, improving toolchains or build times, etc.

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!