Hiring: Staff Controls Engineer Company: Zipline Location: South San Francisco, CA Job Posted Time: 2026-09-03 10:33:45 Target Skills & Keywords : Systems Design About the job Required Skills: •Own dynamic models of complex vehicle systems and components within Zipline’s high-fidelity six-degree-of-freedom simulation. •Build controls algorithms that are robust, performant, fault tolerant and own the development, testing, analysis and deployment of the same. •Define analysis approaches that connect design choices, requirements, limitations, and environmental conditions to vehicle performance. •Evaluate existing and future vehicle designs through simulation, flight-test data, and data from customer aircraft in the global fleet. •Improve simulation fidelity by reconciling model predictions with observed flight behavior and identifying the highest-value gaps. •Lead technical recommendations for controls, vehicle, and system design improvements with software, hardware, flight test, and manufacturing partners. •Build reusable analysis tools that enable teams to investigate performance questions, compare design options, and make informed tradeoffs. •Translate operational and customer insights into engineering priorities that improve the reliability and capability of the logistics network. Qualifications: •Demonstrated expertise in controls, flight dynamics, system identification, or modeling of complex physical systems. •Demonstrated capacity to lead ambiguous technical problems from framing through analysis, recommendation, and cross-functional execution. •Strong engineering judgment about model assumptions, uncertainty, validation limits, and design tradeoffs. •Clear written and verbal communication skills for explaining technical findings to engineering and operational partners. •Comfort working closely with flight-test teams, global fleet data, and customer context to understand real-world system behavior. •What Else You Need To Know Compensation: •$180,000 - $230,000 / year Interested candidates, please apply directly through the job posting on company's career page or try via AI auto apply on this platform. Don't miss this opportunity to join a forward-thinking team!