Senior Manager, Product Design Engineering

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.

About The Role

Skydio’s mechanical systems are the backbone of reliable autonomous flight. An intelligent flying machine depends on world-class engineering and an eye for detail while optimizing for simplicity; you will lead teams to help architect, develop, and refine the structures, mechanisms, and solutions that bring autonomous flight to a broad audience in a highly collaborative environment. Our new winged platform, F10, introduces a new generation of autonomous systems, enabling longer missions and higher speeds. With its RTOL (Robotic Takeoff and Landing), it builds on Skydio’s mission of remote and autonomous flight.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of a cutting-edge vehicle platform - from concept to production - integrating state-of-the-art compute, sensor, connectivity, and aerodynamics to power the world’s most advanced autonomous drone systems.
• Manage the mechanical team tasked with bringing the F10 ecosystem to market - this includes overseeing the mechanical development and delivery of both the winged vehicle and the ground systems/dock.
• Work closely with cross-functional teams - including product, electrical engineering, flight core, software, quality and reliability engineering, program management, supply chain, manufacturing, testing, and operations - to drive new product development from prototype through mass production.
• Identify and drive down-selections on key architecture and technology decisions taking into consideration aero, weight, thermal, and reliability implications.
• Design mechanical parts and assemblies for our aircraft, ground stations, and other key accessories from the ground-up as part of new architectures.
• Collaborate closely with electrical engineers to shape and integrate custom PCBAs, flex circuits, antennas, and cable harnesses.
• Interface with and own technical activity at vendors in partnership with operations and supply chain teams.
• Define and execute engineering tests and utilize analysis to evaluate system trade-offs and prove your design.
• Drive designs throughout the development cycle from prototyping to pre-production and into mass production.
• Support our internal manufacturing and factory teams with assembly processes, quality and inspection criteria, etc.
• Debug and investigate failures with an eye for the smallest details and a commitment to reach the deepest causes.

Requirements

• Being a bad-ass mechanical and/or aerospace engineer, with deep technical skills and the ability to lead teams to deliver extremely technically challenging products.
• Prior experience of management and product development with a proven track record of technical excellence, execution, enthusiasm, delivery, and cooperation.
• Strong system-level design skills, with a sharp eye for mapping technical dependencies and translating complex requirements into execution.
• Experience in aerospace or aviation design, bringing a first-principles approach to solving complex mechanical, thermal, and systems-integration challenges.
• Ability to apply analytical problem-solving skills and engineering fundamentals to create high-quality designs for a sophisticated electromechanical system.
• Mastery of 3D CAD, specifically as used in developing complex assemblies along with an acute sense of when to hack and when to build elegant parametrics. Experience with CATIA strongly preferred.
• Experience with design for a broad array of manufacturing processes (injection molding, metal casting, CNC machining, sheet metal forming, composites, foam).
• Solid sense of how best to prototype quickly and efficiently in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to produce well-constructed, thorough mechanical part and assembly drawings.
• Deep passion for elegant mechanical design at the highest and lowest levels of detail.
• A strategic mind across the full design, source, build, validate, and ship process.
• Proven ability to make considered decisions at various stages.

Pay

The annual base salary range for this position is $230,000 - $325,000. Compensation packages include competitive base salaries, equity in the form of stock options, and comprehensive benefits. Relocation assistance may also be provided for eligible roles.

Benefits

• Stock options
• Relocation assistance
• Group health insurance plans
• Paid vacation time, sick leave, and holiday pay
• 401K savings plan