Zipline International Inc.
Senior Embedded Software Engineer - Avionics SW
South San Francisco, California, USA · Senior
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odds of building a lasting career here
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~61% per draw at Level IV). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
Personalize to your clock →H-1B wage level
the lottery is wage-weighted — each level is one more entry
$5,131 more — $165,131 — moves this role to Level II and 2 lottery entries. That figure is inside the range the employer already advertised.
Based on the DOL prevailing wage for this occupation and worksite, a base salary of $165,131 would place this position at wage Level II. That figure is within the posted range, and I'd like to target it. This role classifies under "Software Developers" for prevailing-wage purposes.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Software Developers (15-1252) · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Wage level is derived by USCIS from the offered wage, occupation and worksite; the occupation shown is inferred from the job title.
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Sourced from Department of Labor LCA, PERM and prevailing-wage disclosure data. Employer matching is by name, so figures may be split across an employer's legal entities. Absence of a filing means none appears in our copy of the data, not that none exists.
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About the role
- you will be responsible for flight- and safety-critical embedded software running on an embedded Linux system, and for the diagnostics and validation infrastructure that proves the performance and reliability of that software in the field.
- Your work directly affects aircraft reliability, mission completion rate, and field-maintenance load across a distributed fleet.
Responsibilities
- Own one or more end-to-end avionics subsystems, such as GNSS, Cellular, IMU and be the primary technical owner for design, implementation, and production readiness.
- Deliver and maintain flight- and safety-critical code on embedded Linux: drivers, device bring-up, real-time data interfaces, fault management, and graceful degradation logic.
- Lead hardware-in-the-loop, bench, and field validation for changes you introduce
- partner with systems, hardware, test engineering, and operations to create repeatable test plans and failure-insertion exercises.
- Build and extend tooling for deterministic test, logging, post-flight analysis, and automated regression tests to accelerate safe deployments across the fleet.
- Triage and resolve high-severity field incidents: drive RCA, implement fixes, and own follow-through until fleet metrics demonstrate resolution.
- Collaborate closely with avionics hardware, systems engineering, manufacturing, and flight operations to set integration boundaries, certification inputs, and release criteria for software changes.
- Lead hardware-in-the-loop, bench, and field validation for changes you introduce; partner with systems, hardware, test engineering, and operations to create repeatable test plans and failure-insertion exercises.
- We design, build, and operate the world's largest autonomous logistics system, delivering critical supplies quickly and reliably.
- Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people's lives and by scaling the future of logistics.
Requirements
- proven track record deploying and operating embedded software in safety- or mission-critical systems (aviation, robotics, industrial controls, or similar).
- Experience with fault management, deterministic real-time requirements, and validation strategies is required.
- demonstrated ability to read schematics, bring up peripherals from datasheets, and debug hardware/software interaction using oscilloscopes, logic analyzers, JTAG, and in-field telemetry.
- Production & safety experience: proven track record deploying and operating embedded software in safety- or mission-critical systems (aviation, robotics, industrial controls, or similar).
- Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role.
- bachelor's degree in EE/CS or equivalent experience; typically 5+ years in embedded/flight-critical systems OR equivalent demonstrated impact.
Nice to have
- experience with bare-metal or RTOS environments is nice to have.
- Must-have technical skills: substantial systems-level experience shipping embedded production code in C++ or Rust
- Experience with embedded Linux environments is required
- substantial systems-level experience shipping embedded production code in C++ or Rust
Skills
- What Else You Need To Know
- This position may be hired at one of three levels based on the candidate's experience, skills, and demonstrated scope:
- Software Engineer II: $160,000 - $190,000
- Senior Software Engineer: $190,000 - $220,000
- Staff Software Engineer: $220,000 - $250,000
- Voluntary Self-Identification
- Completion of the form is entirely voluntary.
- Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter.
Compensation
- 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.
Benefits
- With more than 140 million commercial autonomous miles safely flown, Zipline is redefining access to healthcare, consumer products, and food across the globe.
Company info
- We are on a mission to serve all humans equally by ensuring access to food, medicine and essential goods anytime, anywhere.
- We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.
This listing is sourced directly from Zipline International Inc.'s careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.