Autonomy Software Engineer, Skydio
$147-210k
+ Equity in the form of stock options
More information about location
Office located in San Mateo, CA
Drone manufacturer
Be an early applicant
Drone manufacturer
501-1000 employees
Be an early applicant
$147-210k
+ Equity in the form of stock options
More information about 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
- 1+ years of experience writing production level code for autonomous robots, preferably flying robots with a high level of proficiency in C++ and Python
- Practical experience implementing state of the art algorithms in a robotics-adjacent area including computer vision, state estimation, motion planning, controls, sensor characterization and integration, UAS software and hardware development
- Highly curious, creative, and able to communicate concepts to non-technical audiences
- Strong software engineering fundamentals and a commitment to writing clean, well-designed, maintainable, readable code
- Excited to use robotics to make the world safer, more productive, and more creative
What the job involves
- As an Autonomy Engineer, your primary goal will be to make our autonomy system more capable and more reliable for all of our customers
- You will own developing new autonomous capabilities end-to-end and deploying these capabilities to customers tackling a wide range of use cases, including inspection & mapping, drone-as-first-responder (DFR), security/patrols, situational awareness, and more. These represent some of the first real-world deployments of truly autonomous robots performing valuable tasks in large and critical industries
- Build cutting-edge autonomous capabilities through tight cross functional collaboration with our vision, planning & controls, deep learning, infrastructure, embedded, cloud, mobile, design, product, and flight test teams
- Develop core robotics algorithms to expand our autonomous operational envelope in challenging environmental conditions, including night time, in urban canyons, in areas of GNSS and C2 interference, at sea, and in precipitation
- Triage customer issues, recognize trends, and rapidly make our system more resilient to failures seen in the field
- Research investments in simulated and in-real-life test infrastructure
- Develop a deep understanding of core robotics principles coupled with a full understanding of how our system works
- Help out across the full software stack when needed, maintaining the highest standards for code quality and proactively addressing tech debt
- Conceive, design, implement, simulate, evaluate, and fly new motion planning strategies to extend capabilities and improve customer experience
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 $2 billion. 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. 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 benefits
- Work from home opportunities
Company HQ
Western Hills, San Mateo, CA
Leadership
Adam Bry
(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
(CTO)Earned a PhD in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from MIT, and was a Software Engineer for Google's Project Wing.
Matt Donahoe
(CXO)Previously a Research Assistant at MIT Media Lab and a Mobile Engineer at Pocket Gems.
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