Real job — pulled straight from Modern Intelligence’s careers page · Verified September 18, 2026 · No reposts.
Job description
Modern Intelligence is hiring a Drone Engineer — a full-time, based in Austin, TX role. Apply directly on Modern Intelligence's careers page below.
Drone Engineer
Team: Engineering
Location: Austin, Texas
Commitment: Full-time
Workplace Type: onsite
Salary:
Compensation Specifics
- Final offer depends on demonstrated depth in a systems language and how much of the stack you can pick up quickly.
- Equity is granted on top of base for every full-time role.
Benefits
- Full medical for employee and family
- Full dental and vision for employee and partial coverage for your dependents.
- Generous and flexible PTO
- Paid Holidays: All federal holidays + last two weeks of the calendar year
- Paid Parental Leave: 12 weeks
Modern Intelligence builds Sovereign, targeting software for unmanned systems. Manufacturers install it on UAVs, USVs, UUVs, and other unmanned vehicles. Sovereign runs on the vehicle’s computer. It detects, classifies, and tracks targets from the onboard cameras, keeps identity when the picture breaks up, and can run terminal guidance into impact. It keeps working when GPS is out and the radio is jammed.
We’ve held Department of War contracts, including work with Air Force Special Operations and SOCOM.
We’ve raised more than $12 million from Bedrock, Vine, Contrary, Air Street, Caffeinated, Champion Hill, Swell, Myelin, and others.
Details
We are looking for someone who loves building and flying drones. You will be working with many many drones from a wide variety of companies. You will be responsible for keeping a highly heterogeneous fleet of drones up and running, while also playing a key role in integrating and evaluating our autonomy software on new platforms. We expect you to solve any problem that comes up in the drone’s flight controller, the electrical systems, or any physical problem.
We are working with the job title of Drone Engineer, but we are open to using other titles that may be more suitable to the candidate: e.g. Aerospace Engineer (with appropriate background), Mechanical Engineer, Electrical Engineer, etc.
Requirements
- Experience with both fixed wing and copter style drones.
- Direct experience with ArduPilot or Betaflight.
- Willingness to relocate to Austin, Texas.
- Willingness to travel.
- Must be a U.S. person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or other protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3)). This role works on export-controlled technology.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with both ArduPilot and Betaflight, including ELRS/CRSF radio links.
- Experience with less common drone configurations such as tail sitters, VTOL, etc.
- Experience with UGVs and USVs.
- Has built their own drones.
- Experience with CAD and 3D printing.
- Degree in one of: Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering (or equivalent), or Computer Science.
Nice to have
- Experience with PX4.
- Experience with autonomy.
- Willingness to travel to Ukraine.
We are investing heavily in increasing our ability to fly, test, integrate with, and maintain drones from a wide array of different drone vendors. Although we have experience spread around our company, aside from a pilot, this is the first role we are hiring with this focus.
Strong candidates will have an opportunity to not only shape, but potentially own the team that owns all of our drones and drone development.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the seniority level for Drone Engineer at Modern Intelligence?
Drone Engineer at Modern Intelligence is a Mid Level level position.
How do I apply for Drone Engineer at Modern Intelligence?
You can view the full description and apply for Drone Engineer at Modern Intelligence on EchoJobs: https://echojobs.io/job/modern-intelligence-drone-engineer-0dy6e.