Senior Firmware Engineer - Motors

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.

Our customers include 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.

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.

About You and The Role

As a Motor Control Engineer at Zipline, you'll be responsible for shipping high-performance motor controller firmware for Zipline's family of proprietary motor controllers. You will work closely with electrical engineers, mechanism designers, flight software developers, and test-site operations teams.

We use C++ in firmware development, with Rust and Python for tooling deployed to production systems in the field. The team uses hardware- and software-in-the-loop test infrastructure to validate features and regression test functionality.

What You'll Do

• Design estimators and controllers for propulsion motors and actuators.
• Implement controllers in C++ targeting bare-metal ARM microcontrollers.
• Write peripheral drivers for motor controller hardware.
• Validate firmware through bench and flight testing.
• Improve reliability of the flight software system and develop fault management strategies.
• Build vehicle simulations in Rust for validation and regression testing.
• Collaborate with electrical engineers on inverter design validation.
• Build and maintain automated fleet monitoring systems.

What You'll Bring

• Fluency in C/C++ and interest in Rust and Python.
• Mastery of nonlinear estimation techniques and classical control theory.
• Experience with mechatronic control systems.
• Experience with embedded environments including bare metal, RTOS, and embedded Linux.
• Experience supporting robotic systems in real-world environments.
• Systems-engineering mindset and problem-solving skills.
• Strong executive communication skills.
• Ability to work on-site in South San Francisco, CA.
• Electronics design background is appreciated but not required.

Additional Information

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes applications from individuals traditionally underrepresented in tech.