Do you want to change the world? Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building, manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally, wherever they are. From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart, to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes, we are transforming the way things move for businesses, governments and consumers. The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Through our technology that includes robotics and autonomy, we are decarbonizing delivery, decreasing road congestion, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.

Join Zipline and help us to make good on our promise to build an equitable and more resilient global supply chain for billions of people.

About You and The Role

The Avionics team is a group of hardware and software experts responsible for designing robust systems that power our life-saving drone delivery service in some of the toughest environments on Earth. Our team designs aircraft avionics that must excel in a wide range of harsh, real-world climates and electromagnetic interference (EMI) environments. The Avionics system is a vital part of the overall zipline aircraft system architecture, where we strive to achieve high performance and reliability while minimizing mass and cost.

As an Embedded Software Engineering Lead, you will play a pivotal role in leading the development of embedded software for our cutting-edge aircraft technology. We are looking for a hands-on leader with a strong command of embedded software development and the proven capacity to grow a high-performing team.

What You'll Do

• Lead, mentor, and grow a team of embedded engineers by providing a clear vision and setting ambitious goals, all while maintaining a stringent focus on technical excellence.
• Provide technical leadership in system level design spanning both our Platform 1 and Platform 2 aircrafts by bringing expertise in either Linux, Microcontrollers, or Real-Time Operating Systems (RTOS).
• Cultivate a team culture that champions a bias to action and strives for radically simple designs.
• Coordinate across teams such as the electrical engineers to architect safety-critical avionics systems, which include flight computers, radios, safety systems, and communication buses.
• Create reliable drivers for peripheral devices and radios used in flight computers, such as Inertial Measurement Units and GNSS Receivers.
• Develop a microprocessor framework to expedite firmware development processes.
• Contribute significantly to embedded software development by producing architectural documents, participating in code reviews, and occasionally implementing limited features and addressing bug fixes.

What You'll Bring

• Proven experience in leading engineering teams to successfully deliver embedded software solutions, demonstrating the level of rigor required for high-volume or safety-critical applications.
• A knack for thinking from first principles and a genuine passion for solving complex challenges.
• Experience managing multiple engineers with regards to expectations, performance feedback, and compensation.
• Deep technical expertise in embedded software engineering, with a track record of making impactful architectural-level contributions. You are an expert in one or more compiled languages suitable for real-time applications, such as C, C++, or Rust.
• Enthusiasm for team building, including the ability to identify and persuade top-tier talent to join your team.

What Else You Need to Know