R&D Drone Engineer

About the role

You will join a drone technology company's research team, where your job is to explore what the next generation of aircraft could be. You prototype novel configurations, test unconventional ideas quickly, and turn the ones that work into technology the product teams can adopt. This role exists because the company refuses to let its roadmap be defined only by what is safe today, and you are the person who makes bold ideas testable, measurable, and real. You will present findings regularly to engineering leadership, influencing where the company places its next big technical bets and which research threads graduate into funded programs.

What you will achieve

• Prototype novel airframe configurations, propulsion concepts, or autonomy approaches on fast timelines, proving or disproving ideas with flying hardware rather than slideware.
• Transition successful research into product teams through clean documentation, reference implementations, and hands-on knowledge transfer that sticks.
• Expand the company's technical frontier by writing internal research reports and, where appropriate, external papers or patent filings.
• Reduce R&D cycle time by building reusable prototyping infrastructure: modular test rigs, simulation environments, and flight test procedures anyone can use.
• Evaluate emerging technologies such as new sensors, compute platforms, and materials, and recommend with evidence which ones deserve serious investment.

What you will bring

Must-haves

• 4-7 years of experience in R&D, advanced development, or rapid prototyping for UAVs or robotics with hardware to show for it.
• Demonstrated ability to take an idea from concept to flying prototype independently, including the messy middle of debugging.
• Breadth across disciplines: you can design a structure, wire avionics, write control code, and fly the resulting aircraft yourself.
• Strong experimental mindset: hypothesis-driven testing, honest reporting of negative results, and fast iteration without ego attachment.
• Proficiency in Python and C++, with familiarity with PX4/ArduPilot and ROS 2 ecosystems.
• Track record of technology transition: research that became products or capabilities, not just demonstrations.
• Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering or a related field.

Nice-to-haves

• Patents or peer-reviewed publications in UAV or robotics topics.
• Experience with grant-funded or internal R&D research programs and their reporting rhythms.
• Background in unconventional configurations such as tailsitters, tiltrotors, or flapping wing aircraft.
• Experience with novel sensing modalities like event cameras or FMCW radar.