Firmware Engineer Intern (Spring 2027)

About the Role

Zipline aircraft depend on embedded firmware to execute critical flight and safety functions across a network of microcontrollers and embedded Linux computers. This software must perform reliably as aircraft move from manufacturing into delivery operations at field sites around the world, including locations that are difficult to access over a network. You will own C++ firmware and supporting tools that are critical to the safety and operation of these systems, while making the system more observable and easier to diagnose at scale. Working alongside electrical, mechanical, embedded Linux, and systems engineers, you will turn hardware behavior and flight data into reliable, maintainable software for deployed aircraft.

What You'll Do

• Design and build C++ firmware for a distributed system of aircraft microcontrollers.
• Develop reliable Ethernet, serial, and other microcontroller communication interfaces.
• Define platform-level interfaces and reusable firmware components that support multiple aircraft subsystems.
• Own the predictable and reliable performance of our microcontroller systems and the communication buses that connect them, across startup, real-time operation, fault handling, and recovery.
• Optimize real-time behavior, including CPU utilization, memory usage, scheduling latency, timing jitter, and resource contention.
• Develop metrics, monitoring, and troubleshooting capabilities to prepare the system for field deployment at scale.
• Develop Rust-based tooling and software-in-the-loop simulations to test and validate firmware behavior.

Qualifications

• Passionate about learning about firmware, real-time systems, Zipline’s aircraft and systems, and our mission.
• Prior internship or design team experience.
• Experience with writing C or C++.
• Excellent grades in embedded systems classes.
• Rising seniors are preferred.

Internship Details

• This is a full-time, in-person position.
• Location: South San Francisco.
• Duration: January to April/May 2027.
• Candidates are limited to three (3) applications within a 30-day period.