Forward Deployed AI Engineer, Operations

About Zipline

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.

About You & The Role

Zipline is looking for Forward Deployed AI Engineers who will be at the forefront of bringing GenAI into one of the most complex real-world logistics systems in the world. We operate across software, hardware, aviation, robotics, healthcare, commerce, and field operations, which means the work is practical, high-stakes, and directly tied to production outcomes. This role is similar to being a hands-on AI startup CTO inside Zipline: you report directly to the Head of Operations, work in a small team, own delivery of important projects, move quickly from problem discovery to shipped product, and partner directly with users. The impact will come less from demos and more from systems that are adopted, trusted, and used in daily operations.

What You’ll Do

• Work directly with Zipline teams to own GenAI strategy and implementation for high-impact operational workflows and teams.
• Build end-to-end AI tools, take them to production, and solve real-world problems across aviation, logistics, fulfillment, maintenance, customer operations, and commercial teams.
• Work closely with operators, engineers, product teams, and business leaders to understand user needs, define the right technical approach, and implement solutions that improve how Zipline runs.
• Bring learnings from the field back into Zipline’s broader AI tooling, platforms, and best practices.

What You’ll Bring

• Experience building with LLMs, data processing pipelines, and analytics tools.
• A strong understanding of the AI landscape.
• A solid foundation in machine learning basics such as evaluation, training concepts, and problem decomposition.
• Proficiency in Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, Java, C++, or similar languages.
• Comfortable collaborating with technical and non-technical teammates, working in dynamic environments, and iterating directly with users.

What Else You Need To Know

• This will be an in-office role based out of our South San Francisco HQ.
• Must be able to travel up to 50% of the time either to our HQ or into the Field.
• The starting cash range for this role is $112,500 - $300,000; 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; overtime pay; discretionary annual or performance bonuses; sales incentives; benefits such as medical, dental and vision insurance; paid time off; and more.