Hardware Test and Reliability Engineer

San Mateo, California, United States - Full-time

Skydio is the leading US drone company and the world leader in autonomous flight, the key technology for the future of drones and aerial mobility. The Skydio team combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence, best‑in‑class hardware and software product development, operational excellence, and customer obsession to empower a broader, more diverse audience of drone users — from utility inspectors to first responders, soldiers in battlefield scenarios and beyond.

We are seeking a driven and versatile Hardware Test and Reliability Engineer to help drive safety and reliability initiatives, develop and execute test plans that enable rapid design iteration and robust product validation for state‑of‑the‑art autonomous flying machines servicing a broad range of enterprise, public safety, and defense applications.

• Immerse yourself in massive data sets from developmental flight telemetry and robust customer analytics to identify problems before they occur, perform risk assessments, develop prognostic and conditioned‑based maintenance protocols, and anchor our reliability test specs firmly in data.
• Work with product development, embedded software, quality, manufacturing, and suppliers to define and execute comprehensive test strategies from early prototyping stages through volume production, enabling earliest possible discovery of failure modes for complex electro‑mechanical autonomous systems.
• Collaborate with mechanical, electrical and software engineering teams to perform failure analysis, identify root cause, implement corrective actions, resolve system issues, and help develop process/design mitigations.
• Contribute to design reviews and provide key design‑for‑reliability inputs to mitigate risks from first prototypes to first customer shipment and beyond.
• Apply a keen interest in contributing across multiple domains to make Skydio products the default choice for users in challenging environments.

• Deep curiosity with 3+ years experience in hands‑on development, testing and delivery of highly reliable complex systems.
• Extensive knowledge of the physics of failure and integration risks of one or more critical electronics and mechanical subsystems such as compute systems, electro‑mechanical or electronic sensors.
• Proficient in Python and SQL to adeptly manage and analyze large datasets, uncovering correlations and trends between our drones, their operational environments, and diverse use cases.
• A systems‑engineering approach to problem solving, and a knack for rapidly identifying issues within mechanical, electrical, and software domains; strong desire to drive failure analyses to true root cause.
• Enthusiastic tendencies toward diving into hands‑on testing, characterization and failure analysis.
• A passion for communicating the nuances of hardware reliability to internal and external cross‑functional teams to help drive organizational priorities.

At Skydio, our compensation packages for regular, full‑time employees include competitive base salaries, equity in the form of stock options, and comprehensive benefits packages. Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience. Relocation assistance may also be provided for eligible roles. The annual base salary range for this position is $145,000–$180,000. This position and all associated benefits are subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as the company’s policies and eligibility criteria.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local anti‑discrimination laws.

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