Autonomy Simulation & Tools Engineer, Skydio
$170-240k
For some positions the pay may be dependent upon the individual's regional location
Office located in San Mateo, CA
Autonomous drones for DFR, inspection, and national security
Open for applications
Autonomous drones for DFR, inspection, and national security
501-1000 employees
Open for applications
$170-240k
For some positions the pay may be dependent upon the individual's regional location
Office located in San Mateo, CA
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To make the world more productive, creative, and safe with autonomous flight.
Role
Who you are
- 3+ years of professional experience in software engineering, ideally in robotics, simulation, or systems development
- Proficiency in C++ and/or Python, with a strong grasp of performance-sensitive and multi-threaded systems
- Experience with simulation frameworks, time-synchronized data systems, or state-machine-driven applications
- Familiarity with structured data visualization, log processing, or developer tooling design
- Strong communication skills and the ability to partner effectively with cross-functional teams
- Comfort operating in a fast-paced environment where requirements evolve and priorities shift
Desirable
- Experience with real-time or high-fidelity simulation systems in robotics, aerospace, automotive, or similar domains
- Background in telemetry systems, log ingestion pipelines, or automated test environments
- Front-end development skills in modern web frameworks (e.g., React, TypeScript, Three.js, Plotly) with a focus on data interaction and visualization
- Familiarity with distributed systems or cloud-hosted services used to support internal tools and customer applications
What the job involves
- We are looking for an experienced software engineer to lead the development of simulation and log visualization tools that support every stage of the autonomy lifecycle
- You will be responsible for building and evolving core internal platforms that allow engineers to test new ideas, diagnose system behaviors, and understand complex interactions between software and the physical world
- This role combines backend systems work with front-end visualization, and requires a strong sense of software design, developer experience, and a passion for enabling others through effective tooling
- The systems you build will be used daily by autonomy developers, test engineers, and even customers — forming the foundation for iteration, validation, and insight
- Simulation Platforms: Expand our internal simulation capabilities to support a growing range of vehicle types, environmental conditions, and use cases — from early prototyping to continuous testing and external evaluation
- Log Playback & Analysis Tools: Design and build systems that allow engineers to replay recorded system behavior, with fine-grained control over how state, perception, and decisions are rendered and analyzed
- Time-Series and State Visualization: Develop fast, intuitive tools for inspecting complex telemetry data across time, supporting triage, debugging, and performance evaluation
- Customer-Facing Simulation Enablement: Contribute to the delivery of simulation capabilities to external users through web interfaces and deployment infrastructure, making them accessible for training, integration, and evaluation purposes
- Lead the design and implementation of scalable simulation and visualization tools used across autonomy development and testing workflows
- Collaborate with autonomy, QA, and infrastructure teams to gather requirements, align on priorities, and deliver impactful tooling
- Architect data pipelines that transform log and simulation data into structured, queryable formats suitable for playback and analysis
- Build frontend components and APIs that expose data insights clearly and efficiently, tailored to a wide range of technical audiences
- Contribute to the long-term vision and roadmap for developer tools that improve debugging efficiency, test coverage, and system understanding
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.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
24% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 7 rounds)
Nov 2024
$170m
SERIES E
Feb 2023
$230m
SERIES E
Total funding: $741m
Company HQ
Western Hills, San Mateo, CA
Leadership
Adam Bry
(Co-Founder & CEO)Having studied at MIT, they spent a year and a half at Google as a Software Engineer. They left this position in February 2014 to co-found Skydio.
Abraham Bachrach
(Co-FOunder & CTO)Earned a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, and was a Software Engineer for Google's Project Wing.
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