Zipline
Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Avionics SW
$160K–$250K
South San Francisco, California, USA +1 · Senior · Full-time · Posted Sep 23, 2026
- Location
- South San Francisco, California, USA
South San Francisco, California, United States - Experience
- Typically 5+ years in embedded/flight-critical systems OR equivalent demonstrated impact.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree in EE/CS or equivalent experience.
About the job
Own and deliver flight- and safety-critical avionics software and validation infrastructure for Zipline’s autonomous aircraft fleet.
What you'll do
- Own avionics subsystems end to end, from design and implementation through production readiness.
- Develop embedded Linux software, diagnostics, and deterministic test and validation tooling; lead hardware-in-the-loop, bench, and field testing.
- Investigate field incidents, drive root-cause analysis and fixes, and collaborate across hardware, systems, manufacturing, and flight operations.
What they ask for
- Substantial experience shipping production embedded code in C++ or Rust and experience with embedded Linux.
- Track record deploying embedded software in safety- or mission-critical systems, with experience in fault management, deterministic real-time requirements, and validation strategies.
- Ability to read schematics, bring up peripherals from datasheets, and debug hardware/software interactions using listed instruments and telemetry.
- Bachelor’s degree in EE/CS or equivalent experience; typically 5+ years in embedded/flight-critical systems or equivalent demonstrated impact.
Nice to have
- Experience with bare-metal or RTOS environments.
Pay
$160,000 - $250,000 USD base salary; $160,000 - $190,000 USD base salary; $190,000 - $220,000 USD base salary; $220,000 - $250,000 USD base salary
Tools
C++, Rust, embedded Linux, GNSS, Cellular, IMU, RTOS, JTAG
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative