South San Francisco, California, United States · Hybrid
$125k–$210k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: C++, Rust, Python, Embedded Linux, RTOS
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$155k–$225k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: C++, Rust, Python, Motor Control, Embedded Systems
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$145k–$185k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: C, C++, Python, Linux Kernel, Real-time Systems
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: 2D CAD, 3D CAD, Structural Analysis, Prototyping, Root Cause Analysis
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$145k–$190k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: GIS, Spatial Analysis, Data Wrangling, Excel, Google Sheets
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$165k–$195k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Strategic Advising, Performance Management, Compensation Planning, Organizational Design, Employee Relations
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$150k–$250k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Software Validation, Robotic Systems, Perception, Motion Planning, Navigation
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$180k–$265k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: 3D Perception, Deep Learning, Computer Vision, Robotics Fundamentals, TensorRT
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$180k–$250k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Distributed Systems, API Design, AWS, Kubernetes, Streaming Systems
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$160k–$225k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Power Electronics Design, AC-DC Conversion, DC-DC Conversion, Battery Charging Systems, PCB Layout
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$140k–$175k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: SQL, Python, R, Snowflake, dbt
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Machine Learning, Deep Learning, PyTorch, JAX, TensorFlow
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$180k–$220k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Technical Leadership, Test Hardware Design, Product Development Life Cycle, Root Cause Analysis, Validation Testing
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$160k–$235k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Electronics Circuit Design, Schematic Capture, PCB Layout, Mixed-Signal PCB, High-Speed Digital PCB
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$160k–$225k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Design Management, Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering, Architecture, Infrastructure Design
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$170k–$210k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Control Algorithms, Estimation Algorithms, Embedded Systems, Flight Dynamics, Dynamic Modeling
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Material Planning, Data Analysis, Excel, SQL, Python
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$145k–$225k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Electromechanical Design, CAD, DFM, GD&T, FEA
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$180k–$270k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Systems Architecture, Fleet Orchestration, Real-time Systems, Simulation Platforms, Software Engineering
South San Francisco, California, United States · On-site
$160k–$225k/yr
About Zipline Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We des…
Skills: Project Engineering, NPI, Cross-functional Leadership, Root Cause Analysis, Systems Engineering
South San Francisco, California, United States • Hybrid
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Develop embedded software for critical flight and safety functions across microcontrollers and embedded Linux edge computers. Partner with cross-functional teams to improve system reliability through fault management, validation, and runtime analysis.
Requires strong software engineering fundamentals in strongly typed languages and experience building real-world deployed embedded systems. Candidates must be proficient in the hardware/software interface and comfortable working across bare metal, RTOS, and Linux environments.
Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere. We design, build, and operate the world’s largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products.
Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent healthcare systems, governments, retailers, restaurants and global businesses who rely on us to save lives, reduce emissions, increase economic opportunity, and provide delivery from point A to point B as fast as possible. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.
Our system strengthens supply chains, reduces congestion, and gives people time back. With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.
We operate at a global scale and are looking for practical problem solvers who thrive on real-world challenges and rapid growth. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.
As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer, you will help build the software foundation for some of the most critical systems on our aircraft. This role is well suited for an engineer who is excited to work close to the hardware, move fluidly across different embedded environments, and take ownership of complex problems from early prototype through field-ready deployment.
You are a strong software engineer first, with deep curiosity about how systems behave in the real world. You are comfortable working across a range of platforms, whether that means writing low-level firmware, developing within an RTOS, or building software for embedded Linux systems. You enjoy debugging difficult issues, especially at the boundary between software, hardware, and system behavior, and you bring a thoughtful, methodical approach to getting to the root cause.
This is a role for someone who thrives in a fast-moving, highly collaborative environment. You are energized by ambiguity, eager to learn new domains quickly, and willing to jump in where needed to help the team move faster. You care about building robust, reliable systems, but you also know how to balance rigor with pragmatism in order to make progress.
Most importantly, you are motivated by the mission. You want to work on meaningful technology, contribute to a small and high-impact team, and help build systems that support Zipline’s long-range platform and broader delivery network.
The starting cash range for this role is $125,000 - $210,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. 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.
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!
Please Note
We have received reports stating that certain individuals are reaching out to people under false pretenses, claiming to be Zipline employees, affiliates, agents, or representatives. They may seek to gain access to your personal information or to acquire money from you by offering fictitious employment opportunities or by claiming that they are contacting you on Zipline’s behalf.
Genuine Zipline employees or representatives will never ask you for money or payment in exchange for employment opportunities or other related services. Any such offer of employment or any other service in exchange for fees that claims to be from us is deceitful and part of a fraud.
If you believe you have been targeted by a fraudulent party, we ask that you immediately get in touch with us via email at [email protected] upon receiving a suspicious offer or claim.
Zipline was founded to create the first logistics system that serves all humans equally. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges. Leveraging expertise in robotics and autonomy, Zipline designs, manufactures and operates the world’s largest automated delivery system. Zipline serves tens of millions of people around the world and is making good on the promise of building an equitable and more resilient global supply chain. From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart and enabling leading healthcare providers to bring care into the home in the United States, Zipline is transforming the way goods move. By transitioning to clean, electric, instant logistics, we can decarbonize delivery, decrease road congestion, and reduce fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access for billions of people. The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Zipline is inspiring people, governments, and businesses to imagine what is possible when goods can move as seamlessly as information. To join the team, check out our career page: https://flyzipline.com/careers/
Offices: 333 Corey Way, South San Francisco, California 94080, US
Based on 212 listings with disclosed salaries, most engineering jobs in South San Francisco, CA pay between $120k–$250k per year. Individual offers vary with seniority, company size, and specialization.
There are currently 276 open engineering positions in South San Francisco, CA listed on Clera. New openings are added daily as companies post roles.
Companies currently hiring include Zipline, Roche, MSD, Xaira Therapeutics, Cellares, among others. Browse the listings above to see every active employer.
Yes — 26 of the 276 open engineering positions offer remote or hybrid work (2 remote, 24 hybrid).
Each listing links directly to the employer's application page. Apply early — fresh listings get the most recruiter attention in the first two weeks.
