Senior/Staff Linux Kernel Engineer

USAFull-time$170k2026-10-03 → 2026-11-10

Core

Diagnose crashes, hangs, and performance issues; develop and maintain Linux kernel drivers and subsystems for safety-critical autonomous aircraft systems.

Role type

Staff Linux Kernel Engineer (hardware bring-up & driver development)

Builds

Linux kernel drivers, board-support software, diagnostics, and validation systems for autonomous aircraft hardware.

Domain

Aerospace / Embedded Linux / Kernel Development

Required skills

Linux kernel internals, C programming, hardware debugging, concurrency management, memory management, device-tree configuration, upstream kernel patching, performance analysis, design documentation, technical mentorship

Preferred skills

PCIe, Ethernet/NIC drivers, DMA, IOMMU, Linux networking, ARM64, PREEMPT_RT, eBPF, XDP, kernel CI, firmware integration, test automation

Technologies

Linux kernel, C, ftrace, perf, device trees, PCIe, Ethernet, ARM64, eBPF, XDP

Responsibilities

Diagnose crashes, hangs, races, and timing issues across the deployed fleet; bring up new hardware including device-tree and firmware interfaces; design and verify fault detection and recovery behavior; build automated tests and validation systems; review kernel changes and contribute upstream patches; lead cross-team technical decisions and mentor engineers.

Seniority

Staff, hands-on IC with strategic leadership

About Zipline

Series D1000 Employees

Zipline is an equal opportunity employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws or our own sensibilities. 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!