Head of Security

Role based in South San Francisco, California, USA

 

About Zipline

Do you want to change the world? Zipline is on a mission to transform the way goods move. Our aim is to solve the world’s most urgent and complex access challenges by building, manufacturing and operating the first instant delivery and logistics system that serves all humans equally, wherever they are. From powering Rwanda’s national blood delivery network and Ghana’s COVID-19 vaccine distribution, to providing on-demand home delivery for Walmart, to enabling healthcare providers to bring care directly to U.S. homes, we are transforming the way things move for businesses, governments and consumers. The technology is complex but the idea is simple: a teleportation service that delivers what you need, when you need it. Using robotics and autonomy, we are decarbonizing delivery, decreasing road congestion, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and air pollution, while providing equitable access to billions of people and building a more resilient global supply chain.
Join Zipline and help us to make good on our promise to build an equitable and more resilient global supply chain for billions of people.

 

About You and the Role

As the Head of Security at Zipline, you will define and lead our company-wide cybersecurity strategy across application software, product development,  corporate systems, and drone software security. You’ll work closely with our engineering, product, legal, and operations teams to ensure our systems are resilient against evolving threats while continuing to enable our pace of innovation. You will own the security roadmap and lead a small team of security-focused engineers to strengthen our capabilities and ensure the integrity of our applications and infrastructure. 

This role will own Zipline’s cybersecurity program end-to-end—from governance and compliance to cloud and endpoint security, threat detection, and incident response. You’ll be the key voice on cybersecurity for our leadership team and a strategic advisor to teams building the future of logistics. This is a unique opportunity to help secure a category-defining product that operates at the intersection of aerospace, autonomy, and logistics.

 

What You'll Do

• Define and drive Zipline’s cybersecurity strategy across the company, including risk management, governance, compliance, and incident response.
  
  
• Lead a team of security engineers and work with engineers across all teams to build secure, scalable systems and processes.
  
  
• Partner with Engineering, IT, and Legal to ensure secure development, infrastructure, and operations.
  
  
• Establish and maintain Zipline’s security roadmap, aligning technical and business priorities.
  
  
• Own and lead compliance efforts such as SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, and other relevant regulatory and customer-driven frameworks.
  
  
• Design and oversee robust detection and response strategies, including vulnerability management, endpoint protection, and incident playbooks.
  
  
• Act as a strategic partner in the secure design of Zipline’s drone software and operational platforms—especially against reverse engineering, with strong defensive strategies.
  
  
• Build and lead executive-level communications on security posture, emerging threats, and strategic initiatives.
  
  
• Cultivate a security-first culture across teams through education, awareness, and clear guidance. 
  
  

 

What You'll Bring

• 12+ years of hands-on experience in cybersecurity, with 5+ years building and leading lean, high-impact security teams in fast-paced, startup environments.
  
  
• Proven ability to define security vision and execute it—from 0 to 1 and beyond—balancing urgency with long-term strategy.
  
  
• Success driving security initiatives in engineering-led cultures, partnering closely with product and infrastructure teams.
  
  
• Deep understanding of security frameworks (SOC 2, ISO 27001, NIST CSF) and how to apply them pragmatically in high-growth environments.
  
  
• Strong background in cloud security (AWS/GCP), IAM, endpoint protection, and application security—plus the judgment to prioritize what’s most important.
  
  
• Experience securing complex, high-risk systems such as edge devices, embedded systems, or connected hardware (e.g., drones, robotics, aerospace, IoT).
  
  
• Executive presence and communication skills to influence leadership and align teams around a security roadmap.
  
  
• Ability to identify top security risks and implement incremental improvements while enabling a fast pace of innovation.