About Zipline
Do you want to change the world Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the worlds 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 Rwandas national blood delivery network and Ghanas 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
Ziplines 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 1s 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 youll lead the global strategy and execution of these systems the digital backbone of the worlds largest autonomous delivery platform. Youll 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 youve led diverse distributed engineering teams responsible for critical workflows that bridge the physical and digital worlds and youre motivated by building systems that directly impact lives this is your opportunity to shape the future of global logistics software.
What Youll 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 Ziplines customer- and operator-facing applications evolve. Evaluate integrations with external partners such as government agencies or logistics networks to extend Ziplines 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 Youll 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.
Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard torace color ancestry national origin religion or religious creed mental or physical disability medical condition genetic information sex (including pregnancy childbirth and related medical conditions) sexual orientation gender identity gender expression age marital status military or veteran status citizenship or other characteristics protected by state federal or local law or our other policies.
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!
Required Experience:
Director
About ZiplineDo you want to change the world Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the worlds most urgent and complex access challenges by building manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally wherev...
About Zipline
Do you want to change the world Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the worlds 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 Rwandas national blood delivery network and Ghanas 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
Ziplines 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 1s 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 youll lead the global strategy and execution of these systems the digital backbone of the worlds largest autonomous delivery platform. Youll 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 youve led diverse distributed engineering teams responsible for critical workflows that bridge the physical and digital worlds and youre motivated by building systems that directly impact lives this is your opportunity to shape the future of global logistics software.
What Youll 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 Ziplines customer- and operator-facing applications evolve. Evaluate integrations with external partners such as government agencies or logistics networks to extend Ziplines 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 Youll 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.
Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard torace color ancestry national origin religion or religious creed mental or physical disability medical condition genetic information sex (including pregnancy childbirth and related medical conditions) sexual orientation gender identity gender expression age marital status military or veteran status citizenship or other characteristics protected by state federal or local law or our other policies.
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!
Required Experience:
Director
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Posted on:
13 hours ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
