Zipline · 2 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer - Motor Controls
South San Francisco, CA
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$155K/yr - $225K/yrZipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move, aiming to solve urgent access challenges through innovative logistics solutions. As a Senior Motor Control Engineer, you will be responsible for developing high-performance motor controller firmware and collaborating with various engineering teams to enhance delivery experiences.
DeliveryDronesElectric VehicleHome Health CareLogisticsRoboticsSupply Chain Management
Responsibilities
Design estimators and controllers for propulsion motors and actuators, in close collaboration with the vehicle controls team
Implement these controllers in C++, targeting a bare-metal ARM microcontroller
Write peripheral drivers for new revisions of Zipline’s motor controller hardware
Get your hands dirty validating your firmware on the bench and in flight tests
Understand and improve the reliability of the flight software system as a whole, working with hardware and systems engineers to develop comprehensive fault management strategies and hardware-in-the-loop tests
Build vehicle simulations in Rust to validate and regression test Zipline’s firmware
Collaborate with electrical engineers to bring-up and validate new inverter designs
Build and maintain automated systems to monitor the performance of our fleet and direct maintenance activity
Qualification
Required
Fluency in C/C++, and excitement about writing code in Rust and Python
Eagerness to learn in a fast-paced safety-critical environment
Some experience with mechatronic control systems: hobby projects or professional experience are applicable
Curiosity and a willingness to work in a variety of embedded environments, from running on bare metal, to using a RTOS and integrating with embedded Linux
Experience supporting robotic systems in the real-world, in particular addressing the long-tail of edge-cases and rare events to guarantee safety, reliability, and performance
A systems-engineering mindset, and an eye for finding efficient solutions to problems that may lie outside your core competencies
Strong executive communication skills, to efficiently communicate about your work with stakeholders outside your technical domain
You must be able to work on-site in South San Francisco, CA
Preferred
A background in electronics design would be appreciated, but is not required
Benefits
Equity compensation
Discretionary annual or performance bonuses
Sales incentives
Benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance
Paid time off
Company
Zipline
Zipline designs, manufactures, and operates drones to deliver vital medical products.
Founded in 2011
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Zipline has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (54)
2024 (39)
2023 (29)
2022 (20)
2021 (16)
2020 (3)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$971MKey Investors
U.S. Department of StateThe Rise FundKatalyst Ventures
2025-11-25Grant· $150M
2023-04-28Series F· $330M
2021-06-30Series E· $250M
Leadership Team
Keller Rinaudo Cliffton
Co-founder & CEO
Keenan Wyrobek
Founder, CTO and Product Architect
Recent News
felicis.com
2025-12-26
Company data provided by crunchbase