Do you want to change the world? Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building, manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally, wherever they are. From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart, to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes, we are transforming the way things move for businesses, governments and consumers. The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Using robotics and autonomy, we are decarbonizing delivery, decreasing road congestion, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.

Join Zipline and help us to make good on our promise to build an equitable and more resilient global supply chain for billions of people.

About You and The Role

Zipline’s Application Software team builds and maintains the software systems that power every part of the our lifesaving delivery business in Africa, from the factory floor to ordering apps, to fulfillment and air traffic control tools. This team is responsible for the operating system of Platform 1’s global operations: the critical applications that manage hardware production, inventory, and maintenance; enable data-driven decision-making; and orchestrate fulfillment, flight, and delivery at scale. We connect every corner of the business through software, ensuring Zipline can operate efficiently, intelligently, and globally.

As Head of Application Software, you’ll lead the global strategy and execution of these systems — the digital backbone of the world’s largest autonomous delivery platform. You’ll partner closely with Systems and Embedded Engineering, Manufacturing, Operations, and Business teams to build scalable, cost-effective, and resilient applications that enable Zipline to deliver without fail. If you’ve led diverse, distributed engineering teams responsible for critical workflows that bridge the physical and digital worlds — and you’re motivated by building systems that directly impact lives — this is your opportunity to shape the future of global logistics software.

What You'll Do

• Strategic Leadership: Own the architectural direction and software roadmap for Platform 1 applications, ensuring scalable systems that power operations across geographies and business models. Align software strategy with company goals while optimizing for reliability, efficiency, and user experience.
• Hands-on Technical Leadership: Stay close to the work. Lead architectural reviews, uphold resiliency and reliability standards for mission-critical workflows, and evaluate technical feasibility and value for major new initiatives, especially within your core domain expertise.
• Product Vision: Act as a thought partner to operational and business leadership, shaping how Zipline’s customer- and operator-facing applications evolve. Evaluate integrations with external partners such as government agencies or logistics networks to extend Zipline’s reach and impact.
• Team Building & Growth: Build and scale a high-performing team of full-stack, ERP, and data engineers across continents. Foster autonomy, mentorship, and leadership at every level while maintaining a strong sense of shared purpose and execution excellence.
• Cross-Functional Integration: Collaborate closely with Systems, Hardware, Manufacturing, Operations, and Business teams to ensure cohesive execution. Equip stakeholders with the software tools and data they need to deliver on ambitious, company-wide goals.
• Process & Continuous Improvement: Champion ongoing improvement in development and deployment practices — identifying bottlenecks, introducing automation, and evolving tools and workflows to accelerate delivery without compromising quality or safety.

What You'll Bring

• Entrepreneurial mindset: Able to wear many hats, keep a team focused on what matters, drive the product roadmap, and act as an owner of a core pillar of the business.
• Leadership experience: 10+ years building and maintaining distributed, mission-critical full-stack applications, including 3+ years leading multidisciplinary teams. Proven success hiring, mentoring, and developing diverse, distributed engineers while fostering accountability and autonomy across geographies.
• Depth across modern application stacks: Strong grounding in full stack software development (e.g. Python, Go, React, Angular), with experience integrating ERP platforms (e.g. Odoo) within complex business environments.
• Data and platform engineering fluency: Expertise in database and system fundamentals including schema design, migrations, indexing, and performance optimization. Familiar with modern DevOps practices, version control and CI/CD pipelines.
• Architectural judgement: Ability to design for scale and reliability, knowing when to build from first principles versus extend existing platforms.
• Operational & Cross-Functional Empathy: Deep understanding of how real users and operators interact with complex systems, and the ability to translate between technical, manufacturing, and operational needs. Skilled at simplifying workflows and aligning diverse teams without losing capability or rigor.
• Data-informed judgment and bias for execution: Combines analytical rigor with practical intuition. Uses data and observability to guide decisions, while knowing when speed, context, and engineering judgment matter most. Operates with clarity under uncertainty and delivers meaningful results.

What Else You Need to Know

This role is based out of our South San Francisco HQ with a minimum of 4 days a week in office. Must be eligible to work in the US and travel globally as needed.