Software Engineer, Airspace Platform

Zipline • South San Francisco, CA

5d

About The Position

Zipline is expanding its autonomous delivery network around the world, helping people get what they need regardless of where they live. To support that growth, we are building software that enables autonomous aircraft to safely and efficiently operate in increasingly complex airspace. This technology helps Zipline coordinate with other commercial drone operators and existing airspace users. It is a key part of scaling autonomous delivery safely. We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer who thrives in ambiguous, early-stage environments and enjoys turning complex operational and safety requirements into reliable products. You will help shape both the architecture and the product as we move from initial concepts to deployed systems. Previous aviation experience is not required. We’re looking for engineers who are excited to learn the domain and build scalable, safety-critical systems with meaningful real-world impact.

Requirements

• A track record of designing and delivering reliable software systems in complex or high-consequence environments
• Strong experience with distributed systems, service architecture, APIs, and data modeling
• Sound engineering judgment, including the ability to make and communicate tradeoffs under ambiguity
• Experience operating production services in a modern cloud environment; experience with AWS and Kubernetes is helpful
• A product mindset and empathy for operators, partners, and other users of the systems you build
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Experience owning technically complex projects from definition through production

Nice To Haves

• Safety-critical, security-sensitive, real-time, or other high-consequence systems
• Simulation, optimization, geospatial systems, robotics, autonomy, or aviation
• Interoperability standards or open-source development
• AWS and Kubernetes at production scale

Responsibilities

• Lead the 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

Benefits

• 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!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed