Senior-Staff Software Engineer - Embedded Platform (Middleware)

We are looking for Embedded Software Engineers to help build and evolve the embedded platform powering autonomous aircraft operating in safety-critical environments.

This role sits within the Embedded Platform team, which develops the foundational middleware and infrastructure used throughout the flight software stack. Our systems enable reliable communication, observability, deployment, and coordination between distributed onboard services running on embedded Linux systems.

You will work closely with teams across the Flight Software organization to design, implement, and scale critical platform capabilities that support autonomy, reliability, and operational safety. This role is ideal for engineers who enjoy solving difficult systems problems and building robust infrastructure in embedded environments.

What You'll Do

• Design and develop embedded middleware and platform services for autonomous aircraft systems

• Contribute to core platform capabilities including:

• interprocess communication (IPC)

• logging and observability infrastructure

• communication bridges

• over-the-air (OTA) update systems

• service lifecycle and reliability infrastructure

Build scalable and reliable embedded systems that support an increasingly complex flight software ecosystem

Collaborate with teams across the Flight Software organization to define interfaces, improve platform usability, and support integration efforts

Write high-quality production software in Rust and C++

Investigate and debug complex system-level issues across software and hardware boundaries

Improve system performance, reliability, and operational visibility

Participate in design reviews and contribute to technical direction for platform infrastructure

Help establish and maintain strong engineering practices around testing, observability, and maintainability

Required

• 5-12 years of experience developing embedded or systems software

• Strong programming skills in Rust, C++, or similar systems programming languages

• Experience working in embedded Linux environments

• Understanding of systems-level concepts such as:

• concurrency and synchronization

• networking

• IPC mechanisms

• distributed or multi-process systems

Experience designing and delivering reliable software systems

Strong debugging and problem-solving skills

Ability to collaborate effectively across teams and technical domains

Preferred

• Experience in safety-critical or high-reliability industries such as aerospace, automotive, robotics, industrial systems, or medical devices
• Experience with autonomous systems or robotics
• Familiarity with OTA update systems or device management infrastructure
• Experience with observability, telemetry, or logging systems
• Familiarity with Linux internals and embedded networking stacks
• Experience optimizing performance and reliability in resource-constrained systems

The starting cash range for this role is $165,000 - $245,000. 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.

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.