Senior Wireless Software Engineer, National Security

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 team

The National Security team specializes in tailoring Skydio’s technology platform to meet the needs of Defense users domestically and abroad. Reliable, high-performance radio links are foundational to mission success: command and control, mesh/relay coordination, and resilient, high-quality video in congested and contested RF environments.

About the role

As a Senior Wireless Software Engineer on the National Security team, you will design, implement, and optimize radio-link software and system-level algorithms for mission-critical drone communications using industrial/defense-grade RF data links (e.g., Microhard pMDDL-class radios). You’ll work close to hardware and embedded systems - integrating radios over Ethernet/serial interfaces, tuning link performance, building monitoring/management tools, and driving test and evaluation across complex real-world scenarios.

Work location

This role is hybrid 3 days a week in office out of our San Mateo, California office or our Boston, Massachusetts office. We are quite flexible on the days but all employees would be expected to be able to commute to our office 3 days a week or would be open to relocation closer to the office. We offer candidates relocation packages to help with this move.

How you’ll make an impact

• Own radio-link performance end-to-end: improve range, throughput, latency, robustness, and reliability for command/control and video transport over RF data links.

• Integrate and control radios at the system layer: implement software interfaces to configure and manage radios (e.g., via CLI/AT-style commands, SNMP, REST, or vendor SDKs), including link profiles, channel plans, bandwidth, power, and QoS settings.

• Build adaptive link behaviors: develop algorithms and policy logic for rate control, channel selection, retransmission/FEC strategy integration, prioritization, and application-aware QoS under interference and mobility.

• Enable multi-node topologies: support relay/mesh-like operations, multi-aircraft coordination, and GCS interoperability where applicable (including bridging, routing, and traffic shaping).

• Drive conducted + OTA testing: define KPIs, build test plans, and enhance automated regression for radio performance in congested/contested environments.

• Develop tooling for observability: create telemetry pipelines, dashboards, and analysis scripts to interpret radio stats (RSSI/SNR, MCS/rate, PER/FER, retries, latency/jitter, link uptime).

• Debug close to hardware: diagnose issues across RF/antenna integration, embedded Linux networking, drivers, and application behavior using packet captures, protocol traces, and lab equipment.

• Collaborate across disciplines: partner with RF, hardware, systems, autonomy, mobile, and flight test to align requirements and deliver field-ready improvements.

• Support mission-focused delivery: incorporate operational feedback from defense users and rapidly iterate on robustness and usability.
  

What makes you a good fit

• Strong experience with RF data links and/or industrial radio modems (e.g., Microhard pMDDL-class, MANET radios, COFDM/microwave links, or similar).

• Solid understanding of wireless link fundamentals and performance drivers (link budgets, fading, interference, antenna considerations, mobility effects, multipath).

• Experience configuring/tuning radios: channelization, bandwidth, TX power, modulation/coding (MCS), FEC/ARQ, and QoS/traffic prioritization.

• Strong embedded/software background in C/C++ (and comfort with Python for automation and analysis).

• Experience with embedded Linux networking: routing/bridging, VLANs, multicast/unicast behavior, traffic shaping (tc/qdisc), UDP/TCP tradeoffs, and video transport considerations.

• Familiarity with radio management interfaces (CLI, serial, SNMP, web UI/REST, vendor APIs) and building robust configuration/monitoring layers.

• Hands-on debugging with lab + field tools: spectrum analyzer (or RF scanning tools), packet capture (tcpdump/Wireshark), iperf, latency/jitter measurement, and log/telemetry correlation.

• Strong software engineering fundamentals: clean architecture, maintainable code, performance-minded design, and disciplined testing.

• Proven ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams including RF, hardware, and systems.

• Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities.

• Ability and willingness to travel up to 20%.
  

Even better

• Experience integrating radios into airborne platforms with constraints around SWaP, thermal, EMI/EMC, and antenna placement.

• Experience with contested-spectrum tactics: interference detection/avoidance, channel planning, and operational profiles.

• Experience building automated test infrastructure (hardware-in-the-loop, chamber/anechoic/OTA setups, regression suites, result dashboards).

• Familiarity with MIL/DoD interoperability considerations (COMSEC/TRANSEC integration patterns, key loading workflows, or policy-driven configuration—where applicable).

• Experience developing or supporting Ground Control Station software and user-facing tooling for link status/health visualization.

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 $170,000-$240,000. 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/