Drone Hardware & Systems Engineer

Role Overview We’re seeking a Drone Hardware & Systems Engineer to lead the design, prototyping, testing, and validation of our autonomous drone platforms. In this role, you’ll take conceptual hardware architectures and translate them into robust, production‑ready systems that support emerging autonomy and AI capabilities. This is a high‑impact engineering position with real ownership across embedded avionics, power systems, sensor integration, and system reliability. What You’ll Do Hardware System Design • Architect and design drone power, avionics, flight control, and sensor integration systems. • Select and validate components (motors, ESCs, flight controllers, sensors, compute modules). • Design for low weight, reliability, and manufacturability. Embedded & Firmware Development • Work with embedded controllers (e.g., Pixhawk, Raspberry Pi, microcontrollers) to implement robust system logic. • Integrate telemetry, sensor data acquisition, and real‑time control loops. • Debug and optimize firmware for performance, efficiency, and safety. Integration & Testing • Build and test functional prototypes in both lab and field environments. • Develop automated test procedures, environmental stress testing, and pre‑flight check routines. • Troubleshoot mechanical, electrical, and firmware issues through iterative refinement. Sensor + AI System Collaboration • Integrate multi‑modal sensors (vision, thermal, gas, moisture) into the hardware stack. • Collaborate with AI/ML engineers to ensure high‑quality data pipelines for on‑board perception and cloud analysis. Safety, Compliance & Documentation • Ensure systems meet applicable regulatory and safety standards. • Produce clear technical documentation: schematics, BOMs, interface definitions, and test reports. Who You Are ✔ Experienced in Drone Systems or Robotics Hardware 5+ years of hands‑on experience in hardware engineering, embedded systems, UAVs, or related physical computing fields. ✔ Strong in Embedded & Avionics Platforms Comfortable with Pixhawk, ArduPilot/PX4, microcontrollers, real‑time embedded code, and debugging tools (JTAG, logic analyzers). ✔ Sensor & Compute Integration Expertise Able to architect systems that fuse environmental, visual, and inertial sensors with compute modules (e.g., Raspberry Pi, NVIDIA Jetson, Coral/TPU). ✔ Proven Practical Solver You’ve brought systems from prototype to field testing, resolved integration issues, and improved reliability under real‑world conditions. ✔ Cross‑Functional Communicator You can collaborate with AI/ML teams, product leaders, and operations to align hardware with software and deployment needs. Nice‑to‑Haves • Experience with autonomous flight stacks (PX4, ROS, MAVSDK) • RF/telemetry systems expertise (433/915 MHz links, LTE/5G integration) • Background in safety‑critical or regulated systems • Experience with 3D CAD and hardware production workflows Pay: Up to $45.00 per hour Expected hours: No more than 20.0 per week Work Location: Remote Apply tot his job