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 https://www.skydio.com/solutions/energy-and-utilities to first responders https://www.skydio.com/solutions/public-safety, soldiers in battlefield scenarios https://www.skydio.com/solutions/national-security/tactical-isr, and beyond https://www.skydio.com/solutions.
About the Role:
We're looking for a Senior Android Engineer who thinks like a product engineer — someone who doesn't just write code, but understands why it matters to the operator holding the controller. You'll work at the intersection of Skydio's autonomous flight engine, connected cloud services, and physical controller hardware to build products that give drone operators superpowers. From dispatch-to-flight workflows to real-time situational awareness to mission planning, you'll shape how people interact with the most advanced autonomous drones in the world. This isn't just mobile development — it's building the command interface for a new category of intelligent machine.
About the Team:
The Edge Experience team owns the full pilot experience on Skydio's controllers — from the radio link and video streaming pipeline all the way up to the product interfaces that operators rely on in the field. We believe in shipping incrementally, automating the critical path, and measuring what matters. Every feature we build touches real hardware, real airspace, and real missions — and we hold ourselves to the standard that our software must be reliable, performant, and intuitive enough for high-stress, high-stakes operation.
How You’ll Make an Impact:
- Design intuitive, high-performance operator interfaces for real-time drone control, video streaming, and mission management
- Work cross-functionally with autonomy, firmware, cloud, and product teams to translate complex system capabilities into simple, reliable user experiences
- Architect and build product features that bridge our C++ autonomy engine, Android application layer, and cloud services — owning the full vertical from native libraries through JNI/NDK to the Kotlin UI
- Build and leverage AI-powered agentic workflows to accelerate engineering velocity — from automated testing and code generation to intelligent developer tooling
- Champion the product engineer mindset: deeply understand operator needs, think end-to-end from hardware to cloud, and own outcomes — not just outputs
- Mentor engineers and raise the bar on software quality, system design, and user-centric thinking
What Makes You a Good Fit:
- 5+ years professional software engineering experience with Android AOSP with substantial work Android (Kotlin/Java) and some work in C++ is preferred
- Deep experience with the Android NDK and JNI — you've built and debugged native libraries that ship in production Android apps
- Proficiency in Kotlin and the modern Android ecosystem (Coroutines, Jetpack/Architecture Components, Gradle)
- Previous experience with one or more graphics APIs such as Vulkan, OpenGL ES, or Metal
- Strong debugging and profiling skills across the native/managed boundary (ASan, Perfetto, Android Studio profilers)
- Experience with low-latency network communication (UDP, WebRTC, or custom protocols)
- Proficiency in Linux development environments
- Obtaining FAA Part 107 certification within the first 60 days of employment is strongly encouraged for all Skydio employees and required for certain positions
Nice To Haves:
- Have shipped mobile apps that integrate with IoT devices or robots
- Experience with Bazel build system would be great
- AOSP or Android platform/framework-level experience
- Familiarity with video codecs (H.264/H.265), camera pipelines, or real-time media processing
Compensation: 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 $190,000 - $250,000*. Fundamentally, we believe that equity is the key to long-term financial growth, and we ensure all regular, full-time employees have the opportunity to significantly benefit from the company's success. Regular, full-time employees are eligible to enroll in the Company’s group health insurance plans. Regular, full-time employees are eligible to receive the following benefits: Paid vacation time, sick leave, holiday pay and 401K savings plan. 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.
- Compensation for certain positions may vary based on the position’s location.
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At Skydio we believe that diversity drives innovation. We have created a multidisciplinary environment that embraces the power of diverse perspectives to create elegant solutions for complex problems. We are committed to growing our network of people, programs, and resources to nurture an inclusive culture.
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.
For positions located in the United States of America, Skydio, Inc. uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/
Skydio
Defense Tech · Series F · San Mateo, USA