2 months ago
South San Francisco, CA, USASenior / Staff+
H1B sponsor
Base Salary
$180k - $260k/yr
Responsibilities
- Build and own infrastructure for validating autonomous features and system performance across planning, perception, and control.
- Design simulation tools and scenario-generation systems for large-scale, high-fidelity autonomy testing under real-world and edge-case conditions.
- Develop custom validation and testing tools that integrate with Zipline’s internal autonomy development stack.
- Create scalable automated systems to run, track, and analyze thousands of validation tasks.
- Collaborate with autonomy, systems, data, flight test, and QA engineers to codify metrics, safety thresholds, requirements, and real-world results.
- Establish software release-validation practices, documentation, standards, workflows, metrics, and evaluation methodologies for the autonomy organization.
Requirements
- 5+ years of experience building software systems for simulation, testing, or safety validation, ideally in robotics, autonomy, aerospace, or other real-time safety-critical domains.
- Strong software engineering skills with proficiency in C++, Rust, or C; Python experience is a plus.
- Hands-on experience with simulation systems for robotics or autonomous systems, particularly for testing or validation.
- Experience building tools, platforms, or infrastructure used by other engineers.
- Understanding of validation methodologies, including defining metrics, evaluating system behavior, and testing complex electromechanical systems.
- Preferred qualifications include high-fidelity simulation or scenario-generation experience; large-scale or distributed systems experience; Kubernetes or AWS experience; familiarity with systems engineering concepts; exposure to planning, perception, and control autonomy stacks; and some exposure to machine learning systems.
- The role is not intended for primarily MATLAB/Simulink-based simulation, systems-engineering-only, infrastructure/DevOps-only, or QA/QC-focused backgrounds without significant software ownership.
Benefits
- Starting cash range is $180,000-$260,000 annually, with final pay based on experience, qualifications, skills, location, and projected impact.
- Total compensation may include equity, discretionary annual or performance bonuses, sales incentives, medical, dental, and vision insurance, and paid time off.
About Zipline
Zipline designs, builds, and operates autonomous drone delivery systems for healthcare, retail, and public-sector customers. The privately held company runs end-to-end logistics—aircraft, software, and fulfillment—to deliver blood, vaccines, medicines, and consumer goods. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in South San Francisco, Zipline operates across multiple continents; notable work includes Rwanda’s national blood deliveries and U.S. home delivery pilots with Walmart.