Senior Product Design Engineer Skydio
Autonomous drones for DFR, inspection, and national security.
Permanent
San Mateo, CA
Remote: Not specified
196K to 270K $ a year
> 5 years
Skills we're looking for
Mechanical skills
Assembly
Catia
You'll be part of
829 employees
Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning
Our take
A leader in autonomous flight, Skydio builds drones that can track and film targets while avoiding obstacles. Its products have a wide range of applications, most notably for businesses that need to undertake inspections in unsafe places. The drones are also valuable to search and rescue efforts, police forces, and the US army. Backed by a range of top investors and strategic partners (including Andreesen Horowitz, Levitate Capital, and Next 47) Skydio sets itself apart from its competitors by marketing its products predominantly to businesses. With technology such as 3D scanning and a 360-degree superzoom mode, its drones have a wide range of applications and functionality. The company raised funding in 2023, which has boosted its valuation to over $2B. It has since focussed on R&D, developing and launching the X10 model which is designed for first responders and the military, as well as enhancing its remote control and thermal imaging capabilities. On top of this it's also been awarded two contracts to expand the use of advanced autonomous drones across key operational units by the US Air Force. As the largest American drone company, there is no reason Skydio shouldn't remain a key industry actor for years to come.
You'll be working on
- Design mechanical parts and assemblies for our aircraft, ground stations, and other key accessories from the ground-up as part of new architectures
- Collaborate closely with electrical engineers to shape and integrate custom PCBAs, flex circuits, antennas, and cable harnesses
- Interface with and own technical activity at vendors in partnership with operations and supply chain teams
- Define and execute engineering tests and utilize analysis to evaluate system trade-offs and prove your design
- Drive designs throughout the development cycle from prototyping to pre-production and into mass production. Support our internal manufacturing and factory teams with assembly processes, quality and inspection criteria, etc
- Debug and investigate failures with an eye for the smallest details and a commitment to reach the deepest causes
We're looking for
- Obtaining FAA Part 107 certification within the first 60 days of employment is strongly encouraged for all Skydio employees and required for certain positions
- Ability to produce well-constructed, thorough mechanical part and assembly drawings
- Mastery of 3D CAD, specifically as used in developing complex assemblies along with an acute sense of when to hack and when to build elegant parametrics. Experience with CATIA strongly preferred
- Passion for elegant mechanical design at the highest and lowest levels of detail
- A strategic mind across the full design, source, build, validate, and ship process. Proven ability to make considered decisions at various stages
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or equivalent with demonstrated academic excellence
- Deep prior experience of product development experience with a proven track record of execution, enthusiasm, and cooperation. This role could be a senior-level depending on experience
- Excellent sense of how best to prototype quickly and efficiently in a fast-paced environment
- Ability to design for a broad array of manufacturing processes (injection molding, metal casting, and CNC machining required, sheet metal forming and composites desired)
- Ability to apply analytical problem solving skills and engineering fundamentals to create high-quality designs for a sophisticated electromechanical system