Flight Test Engineer - Device Platform

Job Overview

San Mateo, California – Full‑time – Skydio is the world leader in autonomous flight technology. We build aircraft, controllers, and software that empower a diverse range of drone users, from first responders to soldiers.

Position
:
Flight Test Engineer – Device Platform Systems

The role focuses on Mobile and Controller Interfaces that connect pilots to autonomy. You will validate human–machine interactions and ensure control software performs reliably and intuitively in real‑world operations.

Location:

Onsite in San Mateo, CA with occasional travel to field test sites.

• Plan and execute UI/UX validation campaigns for new software releases and features.
• Design and run operator‑in‑the‑loop flight tests to evaluate real‑world usability and decision support.
• Validate mobile and controller UI performance during live and simulated flight operations.
• Create and automate smoke, regression, and sanity stress test suites for mobile control interfaces.
• Measure and report on flight health, latency, responsiveness, input accuracy, and recovery behavior.
• Identify human system interaction risks early and drive design and test mitigations.
• Evaluate new features for repeatability, clarity, and operational stability.
• Collect and analyze operator telemetry, logs, and screen recordings to guide design feedback.

• Ground control station and mobile application workflows.
• Touch, gesture, and controller‑based inputs.
• Mission planning and in‑flight UI transitions.
• Alerts, warnings, and system state visibility.
• Performance under degraded GPS, comms, or RF conditions.
• Secure login, authentication, and access control flows.
• 3rd‑party software, device integrations, and peripherals.
• Human factors in safety‑ and autonomy‑critical behaviors.
• Bring up of new controller devices and various platforms.

• Background in human factors, mobile UI/UX validation or design, flight testing, or real‑world system testing.
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills across mobile, embedded, and networked systems.
• Experience with UAS operations and high‑reliability operator workflows.
• Understanding of human factors, usability engineering, and cognitive workload.
• Familiarity with Linux and embedded platforms (not required).
• Strong documentation and technical communication skills.
• Passion for aviation, autonomy, and human‑centered system design.
• Flying a lot!

At Skydio, regular, full‑time employees receive competitive base salaries, equity, and comprehensive benefits. The annual base salary range for this position is $100,000 – $130,000
*. Relocation assistance may be provided for eligible roles. Regular, full‑time employees are eligible to enroll in the Company’s group health insurance plans, paid vacation time, sick leave, holiday pay, and a 401(k) savings plan.

* Compensation for certain positions may vary based on the position’s location.

Skydio is committed to an inclusive culture and provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability. Skydio is a federal contractor subject to applicable requirements for equal employment opportunity and is required to report data on protections for employees and applicants.