Drone Systems Engineer

San Francisco CA. On site. Full time.

Advantra is partnering with a well-capitalized stealth AI startup in San Francisco to hire a Drone Systems Engineer to build and operate custom autonomous drone systems.

The Drone Systems Engineer will design build and pilot custom quadcopters and FPV drones. You will develop and debug ArduPilot and PX4 systems implement vision-based navigation and collaborate with AI and product engineers. The role requires hands-on testing optimizing flight systems and translating experimental insights into reliable autonomous operations.

1. Build and assemble custom quadcopters FPV drones or similar RC vehicles.
   

2. Pilot drones manually without GPS-assisted modes.
   

3. Debug ArduPilot or PX4 issues in field conditions.
   

4. Implement and test vision-based navigation systems.
   

5. Work with Python and C for embedded and control software.
   

6. Collaborate with AI researchers and product engineers on autonomous solutions.
   

7. Conduct flight experiments and analyze results for system improvements.
   

8. Maintain compliance with Part 107 and controlled flight regulations.
   

9. Travel for field testing and deployment as required.
   

1. Experience flying custom-built quadcopters or FPV drones.
   

2. Experience selecting components and assembling drones.
   

3. Experience piloting drones manually in stabilize or altitude-hold modes.
   

4. Experience debugging ArduPilot or PX4 issues on-site.
   

5. Part 107 certification.
   

6. Familiarity with ArduPilot EKF-3 estimation code.
   

7. Knowledge of vision-based navigation systems.
   

8. Comfortable with Python C and Linux environments.
   

9. Ability to work in a high-intensity fast-learning environment.
   

10. Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work across hardware and software.
    

1. Experience with autonomy or robotics research projects.
   

2. Prior work on AI-driven drone control or spatial AI.
   

3. Experience with enterprise or experimental flight deployments.
   

4. Familiarity with academic or publication-grade solution development.
   

5. Startup experience or founder mentality.
   

Competitive base plus equity.

Email with links to shipped work and a short note on what you owned. Company name shared after the intro.

Advantra-Upstart Crew is a search program inside Advantra Consulting. We partner with early stage and high growth startups to hire the top 2% in Tech and GTM. We run end to end searches from single role headhunts to full team build outs using domain experts and a vetted network to deliver tight shortlists. We stay close to founders and candidates so the relationship lasts beyond the first hire.