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. Today, Zipline operates on four continents, makes a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds, and has completed millions of deliveries to date, including blood, vaccines, medical supplies, food, and retail products.
Our customers include the world’s largest and most prominent 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. The drone is only 15% of what we’ve built to enable seamless, reliable, global operations.
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. Our team is motivated by building systems that have a direct, meaningful impact on people’s lives and by scaling the future of logistics. We are seeking people who sculpt from first principles, enjoy facing adversity, and can do the impossible at record breaking speeds.
We’re building the mapping infrastructure that powers every Zipline flight. Maps Platform engineers build the backbone that serves geographic data, features, and map-driven services to Zipline’s products and operators.
You’ll make map data fast, accurate, and reliable for both human workflows (map editors, operator dashboards, regulatory UIs) and autonomous systems (routing, onboard systems). This role mixes backend, data, platform engineering and user interface design with pragmatic production ownership.
Why this role is unique- Own the foundation of flight intelligence. The systems you build directly power how aircraft understand and navigate the world.
- Massive data challenges. You’ll design pipelines that process and serve large-scale geospatial datasets with strict requirements for accuracy, consistency, and availability.
- End-to-end ownership. From raw data ingestion to production services, you’ll build systems that are critical to real-world operations.
- Cross-functional impact. Your work will be used across autonomy, routing, simulation, and operations.
- AI-accelerated engineering. We leverage modern AI and agentic workflows to increase engineering velocity while maintaining strong system rigor.
We care far more about how you approach problems than experience with any specific technology. Strong candidates typically have:
- Experience building and operating large-scale data pipelines
- A track record shipping reliable services and APIs
- Extreme ownership mindset with the ability to drive projects end-to-end
- Experience working with large datasets and designing reliable data processing logic
- Familiarity with data modeling, data quality, and validation in production systems
- Comfort working with cross-functional teams and integrating systems across domains
- Strong backend or distributed systems engineering fundamentals
Experience with geospatial systems, mapping technologies, or GIS tooling is a plus, but not required.
Our current stack includes technologies such as Go, Python, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Kafka, and AWS, but we value engineers who can learn quickly and focus on solving the right problems.
We also lean heavily into AI-assisted engineering workflows and expect engineers to use modern tools to amplify productivity while maintaining high standards for system design and data quality.
What Else You Need To KnowThe starting cash ranges for this role is $160,000 - $250,000. Please note that this is a target, starting cash range for a candidate who meets the minimum qualifications for this role. The final cash pay for this role will depend on a variety of factors, including a specific candidate's experience, qualifications, skills, working location, and projected impact. 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. 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
Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities.
We value diversity at Zipline and welcome applications from those who are traditionally underrepresented in tech. If you like the sound of this position but are not sure if you are the perfect fit, please apply!
For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.
As set forth in Zipline ’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.
Skills Required
- Experience building and operating large-scale data pipelines
- Track record shipping reliable services and APIs
- Experience working with large datasets and designing reliable data processing logic
- Familiarity with data modeling, data quality, and validation in production systems
- Strong backend or distributed systems engineering fundamentals
- Comfort working with cross-functional teams and integrating systems across domains
- Extreme ownership mindset with ability to drive projects end-to-end
- Experience with geospatial systems, mapping technologies, or GIS tooling
- Familiarity with Go, Python, PostgreSQL/PostGIS, Kafka, and AWS
- Use of modern AI-assisted engineering workflows and tooling
Zipline Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Zipline and has not been reviewed or approved by Zipline.
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is consistently described as comprehensive and high quality, with multiple plan choices, low out‑of‑pocket costs, and additions like HRA, One Medical, and fertility support.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental and family leave is highlighted as generous and meaningfully used, reinforcing support for major life events.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid time off, sick days, and holidays are portrayed as solid and broadly available, contributing to overall benefits depth.
Zipline Insights
What We Do
Zipline is the world's largest autonomous delivery network and is powered entirely by fixed-wing drones. Our fleet circles the equivalent distance of the equator every 2.5 days, and we have shipped hundreds of thousands of critical medical products across Rwanda, Ghana, and now beginning in the United States.
Why Work With Us
Zipline is the perfect intersection of super cutting-edge tech, deep social mission, and extremely compelling business case. Our small, scrappy, customer-obsessed, humble, and mission-driven team has set the bar for what is possible in the drone logistics industry globally, and has designed some incredibly elegant technology in the process.
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