Senior Software Engineer - Motor Controls

Responsibilities

• Design estimators and controllers for propulsion motors and actuators in collaboration with the vehicle controls team.
• Implement motor-control firmware in C++ for bare-metal ARM microcontrollers.
• Write peripheral drivers for new motor-controller hardware revisions.
• Validate firmware on the bench and during flight tests.
• Develop fault-management strategies and hardware-in-the-loop tests to improve flight software reliability.
• Build vehicle simulations in Rust for firmware validation and regression testing.
• Collaborate with electrical engineers to bring up and validate inverter designs.
• Build and maintain automated fleet-performance monitoring systems to direct maintenance activity.

Requirements

• Fluency in C and C++.
• Willingness to write production tooling in Rust and Python.
• Some experience with mechatronic control systems, including hobby or professional experience.
• Ability to work across bare-metal, RTOS, and embedded Linux environments.
• Experience supporting real-world robotic systems, including handling edge cases and rare events for safety, reliability, and performance.
• Systems-engineering mindset and ability to solve problems beyond a core technical area.
• Strong executive communication skills for communicating with nontechnical-domain stakeholders.
• Ability to work on-site in South San Francisco, California.
• Background in electronics design is appreciated but not required.

Benefits

• Starting cash range is $155,000-$225,000.
• Potential total compensation includes equity compensation and discretionary annual or performance bonuses.
• Benefits may include medical, dental, and vision insurance and paid time off.
• The role is on-site in South San Francisco, California.
• Zipline is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity and welcomes applications from traditionally underrepresented groups in tech.