Skydio is the leading US drone company and the world leader in autonomous flight, the key technology for the future of drones and aerial transportation. The Skydio team combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence, best-in-class hardware and software product development, and operational excellence to empower a broader, more diverse audience of drone users - from action sports enthusiasts to first responders to insurance claims adjusters.

About the role:

Skydio is built around deep technological investments in autonomy that lead to breakthrough products. We are looking for a world-class engineering leader to manage and grow a team of experienced and dedicated autonomy engineers who built and continue to analyze and improve our core state estimation and obstacle avoidance systems (core vision).  You will lead the core vision team and own these systems, where we have already invested a decade of research and development.  Skydio's vision-based state estimation and obstacle avoidance are recognized as industry leading technologies, allowing our drones to fly autonomously at scale in unknown environments.  You will improve the robustness and capabilities of core vision, investing in new state-of-the-art approaches to support new hardware solutions and provide trustworthy autonomy in even more challenging conditions.

Core vision is a part of the larger overall autonomy team.  Our autonomy team has incredible technical strength in solving complex algorithmic challenges. From inspection to cinematography to situational awareness, our drones are general purpose tools that are creating value for countless industries as the emerging technology crosses into mainstream use.

Read about our team here: http://autonomy.skyd.io 

How you'll make an impact:

  • Leverage robotics and computer vision experience and high quality software engineering to bring state-of-the-art autonomy technology to market
  • You will execute on complex cross-team goals, collaborating across our autonomy, product management, embedded, mobile, cloud, hardware, and flight test teams with emphasis on excellent communication and collaboration
  • You will hire and mentor world-class engineers working on our core vision system
  • You will leverage your experience and best practices to uphold and improve Skydio’s engineering standards and drive infrastructure investments that make us successful
  • You will apply research and develop state-of-the-art approaches to core vision problems, and balance this work with practical engineering to get these approaches integrated into our shipping product.  You will get to see your work used by actual customers!
  • You will blend geometric and deep learning approaches to solve real world problems, leveraging our existing expertise in both.

What makes you a good fit:

  • Hands-on technical leader with strong software engineering experience in robotics and/or computer vision
  • Deep understanding of topics in robotics, computer vision, and software systems
  • Proven leadership, management, recruiting, team building, and communication skills
  • Solid fundamentals in 3D geometry, mathematics, and linear algebra
  • You love building flying robots and making them do amazing things in the world

Compensation Range:  The annual base salary range for this position is $187,000 - 276,000*. Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience. In addition to base salary, Skydio full-time employees are eligible to enroll in our benefit plans and take advantage of a variety of incentives and stipends.

*For some positions the pay may be dependent upon the individual's regional location. 
#LI-PG1

At Skydio we believe that diversity drives innovation. We have created a multidisciplinary environment that embraces the power of diverse perspectives to create elegant solutions for complex problems. We are committed to growing our network of people, programs, and resources to nurture an inclusive culture.

As such, we do not make hiring or other employment-related decisions on the basis of an applicant or employee’s race, color, ethnicity, national origin, citizenship, sex/gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and related medical conditions),  gender identity or expression, age, religion, disability status, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, genetic information or characteristics, veteran, military or family status, or other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local anti-discrimination laws.

For positions located in the United States of America, Skydio, Inc. uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/

Apply for this Job

* Required

resume chosen  
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)
cover_letter chosen  
(File types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf)


Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in Skydio’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.


Form CC-305

OMB Control Number 1250-0005

Expires 05/31/2023

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor required by law to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We are also required to measure our progress toward having at least 7% of our workforce be individuals with disabilities. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had a disability. Because a person may become disabled at any time, we ask all of our employees to update their information at least every five years.

Identifying yourself as an individual with a disability is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer will be maintained confidentially and not be seen by selecting officials or anyone else involved in making personnel decisions. Completing the form will not negatively impact you in any way, regardless of whether you have self-identified in the past. For more information about this form or the equal employment obligations of federal contractors under Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

You are considered to have a disability if you have a physical or mental impairment or medical condition that substantially limits a major life activity, or if you have a history or record of such an impairment or medical condition.

Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Autism
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, or HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or hard of hearing
  • Depression or anxiety
  • Diabetes
  • Epilepsy
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, or irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual disability
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Nervous system condition for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, or Multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Psychiatric condition, for example, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, or major depression

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.