Forward Deployed AI Engineer, Operations

About Zipline

Zipline is the world’s largest and most experienced drone delivery service. It delivers critical supplies—food, medicine, blood, vaccines, and retail products—across four continents, making a delivery somewhere in the world every 30 seconds. The company’s autonomous logistics system is designed to give people access to essential goods anytime, anywhere.

Zipline seeks Forward Deployed AI Engineers to bring Generative AI into one of the world’s most complex logistics systems. The role is hands‑on, working directly with operations, engineering, and product teams, and reporting to the Head of Operations.

• Own GenAI strategy and implementation for high‑impact operational workflows.
• Build end‑to‑end AI tools, take them to production, and solve real‑world problems across aviation, logistics, fulfillment, maintenance, and customer operations.
• Collaborate with field operators and internal stakeholders to translate user needs into reliable technical solutions.
• Share field learnings with the broader AI tooling ecosystem at Zipline.

• Strong experience delivering production AI systems, not just academic benchmarks.
• Hands‑on background with LLMs, data pipelines, and analytics tools, and the ability to decompose complex business problems into reliable workflows.
• Past work building Generative AI solutions and a solid foundation in machine learning fundamentals such as evaluation and training concepts.
• Excellent coding skills in Python, Type Script/JavaScript, Java, C++, or similar languages.
• Comfortable collaborating with technical and non‑technical teammates in dynamic environments.
• Willingness to travel to Zipline sites as needed, up to 50% of the time.

In‑office role based at our South San Francisco headquarters, with up to 50% travel for HQ or field visits.

The starting cash range for this role is $112,500 - $300,000
, depending on experience and qualifications. Compensation may include equity, overtime, performance bonuses, sales incentives, and benefits such as medical, dental, vision insurance, and paid time off.

Zipline is an equal‑opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type. We welcome applications from those traditionally underrepresented in tech.