Z

Zipline

Builds and runs autonomous drone delivery

Technical Writer

Full-TimePosted on 10/20/2026
$97k - $171k
Mid
Bachelor's
South San Francisco, CA, USA
In Person
Content & WritingTechnical Writing

About the job

Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in technical communication, English, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • Experience writing and maintaining technical documentation for complex hardware, software, or operational systems, with work samples demonstrating clear, accurate instructions.
  • Strong writing and editing skills, with the ability to make complex information clear and easy to follow.
  • Ability to learn unfamiliar systems from technical source material, observation, and conversations with subject matter experts, then verify details before publication.
  • Care with safety, applicability, revision control, and change management, and sound judgment about when a technical question must be resolved before release.
  • Ability to manage documentation projects, coordinate reviews and priorities across teams, and adapt to structured authoring and publishing tools such as GitHub or Markdown.
Responsibilities
  • Own assigned manuals and procedures from initial research through release and ongoing maintenance, keeping them accurate as hardware, software, and service processes change.
  • Write maintenance procedures, inspections, troubleshooting guidance, and system descriptions, making safety information, applicability, tools, parts, and prerequisites easy to find.
  • Research engineering source material, observe maintenance work, and interview subject matter experts; resolve conflicting information and confirm technical accuracy before publication.
  • Coordinate reviews, approvals, and release dependencies; track decisions and revisions, communicate blockers, and follow each change through to publication.
  • Use field feedback and change requests to improve documentation, working with partners to prioritize updates by safety, operational impact, and release timing.
  • Organize content, terminology, navigation, and cross-references so technicians can quickly find the right instructions for their task and equipment configuration.
  • Structure procedures and metadata for reuse across manuals and connected maintenance systems, including links among steps, parts, tools, and references.
  • Help migrate manuals from MadCap Flare into Markdown/MDX in GitHub, preserving approved content, applicability, safety information, and revision history while checking the published output.
  • Improve templates, shared content, authoring guidance, and publishing workflows; partner with software and systems teams to address tooling issues that affect documentation quality.
  • Identify where photos, diagrams, or illustrations would make a procedure clearer, and work with engineers and illustrators to keep visuals accurate.

About the company

Zipline builds and operates autonomous drone delivery networks for retailers, restaurants and healthcare systems that need to move products without road traffic. Its electric aircraft carry food, prescriptions and other supplies from partner sites or distribution hubs to customers and health facilities. The company combines aircraft, charging equipment and delivery software with flight operations, so partners buy a logistics service rather than manage their own drones. Merchants use its ordering and tracking tools to reach customers, while governments and health systems contract for medical supply delivery. Zipline was founded in 2014 and has its headquarters in South San Francisco, California.

Company Size

1,001-5,000

Company Stage

Series I

Total Funding

$3.1B

Headquarters

South San Francisco, California

Founded

2014

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Growth teams have fresh funding: Zipline raised over $600 million in January 2026 to expand delivery operations.
  • Consumer distribution is widening: Zipline announced Uber Eats integration in August 2026, with first deliveries planned later that year.
  • Operations extend beyond pilots: Zipline reported over 2.7 million completed deliveries across four continents in August 2026.

What critics are saying

  • New Texas scale is pending: Zipline's September 2026 five-metro proposal remains under FAA environmental review.
  • Bulk deliveries face a weight ceiling: Zipline's proposed Texas P2 aircraft have an eight-pound payload limit.
  • Field testing disrupts regular hours: Zipline's Esparto operator posting requires nights, weekends and occasional regional travel.

What makes Zipline unique

  • Its delivery pod steers itself: Zipline lowers an autonomous robot on a tether while the larger aircraft stays overhead.
  • Different docks share capacity: Zipline's P2 aircraft fly between docks and recharge before taking the next delivery.
  • Public health is a core customer: Zipline runs Rwanda's national blood-delivery network alongside its US consumer service.

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Benefits

  • Health Insurance
  • Dental Insurance
  • Vision Insurance
  • Paid Vacation
  • Paid Sick Leave
  • Company Equity
  • Performance Bonus

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

-1%

2 year growth

-2%
Semafor
Sep 22nd, 2026
Zipline secures 8-year Côte d'Ivoire deal to serve 12M people with drone delivery

US drone logistics company Zipline will expand operations in Côte d'Ivoire, building nine additional facilities to complement its existing site operational since 2023. The expansion aims to serve 12 million people, roughly a third of the Ivorian population, over the next eight years. During its three-year pilot programme, Zipline delivered nearly 4 million medical products — primarily vaccines and blood — to more than 200 healthcare centres in a region northwest of Abidjan. The Ivorian government will cover operating costs including pharmacy-grade warehousing, cold chain management, digital tracking, and delivery for eight years. Zipline expects the government to achieve a three-fold return on its investment, though the company declined to disclose the exact financial terms. The deal represents growing African government adoption of drone technology for delivering social services to hard-to-reach areas.

The Information
Sep 16th, 2026
Drone Delivery Startup Nears $20 Billion Valuation in New Funding Talks

Zipline, a startup making drones that can deliver small packages like meals and medical supplies, is in talks to raise $1 billion at a valuation of roughly $20 billion, according to three people with knowledge of the fundraise. The funding round, if it closes, would more than double its ...

Yahoo Finance
Aug 18th, 2026
Uber Eats partners with Zipline for drone deliveries, targeting 1M daily by 2029

Uber Technologies has partnered with drone delivery company Zipline to offer autonomous drone deliveries to Uber Eats customers in the US, with the service launching before year-end. Uber will make an undisclosed strategic investment in Zipline as part of the agreement. The partnership will enable Uber Eats users in areas where Zipline operates to select drone delivery for orders. The companies plan to expand the service to dozens more US cities and aim for a combined capacity of one million drone deliveries daily by end of 2029. Zipline currently operates on four continents. The partnership aims to reduce delivery times to between five and ten minutes for US customers. The agreement forms part of Uber's hybrid delivery strategy, which combines human couriers, pavement robots and drones.

Uber Technologies, Inc.
Aug 17th, 2026
Uber and Zipline Partner to Bring Drone Delivery to Millions of Americans

Strategic partnership targeting one million drone deliveries daily by the end of 2029, with first deliveries later this year. Drone delivery on Uber Eats will launch across existing Zipline markets and target expansion into dozens of US cities. Uber to make a strategic investment in Zipline, reinforcing a long-term partnership to accelerate the scale of drone delivery. Zipline, a leader in drone delivery, and Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) today announced a strategic partnership, which aims to scale drone delivery across the United States. Uber and Zipline are partnering to bring drone delivery to millions of Americans on Uber Eats The first deployments will begin later this year, where Uber Eats customers will have the option to receive their orders in minutes via Zipline’s autonomous drone delivery. Uber will also make a strategic investment in Zipline and, together, the companies aim to reach one million drone deliveries per day by the end of 2029. Zipline operates on 4

TechCrunch
Aug 17th, 2026
Uber invests in Zipline, targets 1M daily drone deliveries by 2029

Uber is partnering with drone delivery company Zipline, aiming to make one million deliveries per day using Zipline's drones by the end of 2029. The first deliveries on Uber Eats will begin by year-end in Zipline's existing markets, with plans to expand into dozens of US cities. The companies did not disclose the investment amount. Uber is bringing multiple drone delivery partners onto its platform as it seeks to grow Uber Eats. The ride-hail giant previously partnered with Israeli startup Flytrex late last year. Zipline recently closed an extended Series H funding round of $800 million, reaching a valuation of $7.6 billion. Uber thinks Zipline's drones can fulfil orders within five to ten minutes.