Zipline is building the world's largest autonomous delivery system and needs to solve complex access challenges by transforming the way goods move, aiming to serve all humans equally, wherever they are, through an instant delivery and logistics system.
Requirements
- Expertise in safety-critical programming (Rust, C++, or C).
- Strong background in planning and search algorithms, with hands-on industry experience in robotics or autonomy.
- Proven track record of delivering production-grade algorithms for real-world systems.
- Experience with simulation frameworks and data analysis tools for evaluating autonomy system performance.
- Hands-on experience with real-world robotics deployments, handling long-tail corner cases to ensure high uptime.
- Validate system safety through large-scale simulations, SIL/HIL testing, and real flight logs.
Responsibilities
- Develop onboard motion planning and decision-making software for Zipline's delivery drones.
- Design and refine collision avoidance and deconfliction algorithms that scale to 10,000+ flights per day across multiple metros.
- Enable fleet-wide coordination for dense and dynamic airspace operations.
- Architect and extend components of the autonomy stack to support next-generation platforms and products.
- Build and use simulation tools to evaluate new features before deployment.
- Analyze real-world flight data from thousands of missions to validate performance, safety, and reliability.
- Continuously optimize algorithms for energy efficiency, flight time, and robustness in real-world environments.
Other
- At least 5+ years of experience developing software for hardware products in a safety-critical domain (aerospace, robotics, autonomous vehicles, medical devices).
- Strong problem-solving mindset and the ability to work across teams in a fast-moving, safety-critical environment.
- The starting cash range for this role is $180,000 - $230,000.
- The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact.
- The total compensation package for this role may also include: equity compensation; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.
