Hardware In Loop (HIL) Software Engineer Intern - Winter 2027

Department: R&D

Location: San Mateo, California, United States

Employment Type: Intern

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:

We are looking for interns for the Winter 2027 Season. You will contribute to the development and optimization of Skydio's embedded hardware in the loop (HIL) system. Including the Python test framework, its CI integration, the fleet of physical test stations, and the devices on them. You'll help guide its technical direction, keep it reliable as the number of products and tests grows, and make it easy for other teams to add tests.

An ideal intern candidate is a junior, senior, or MS-level college student with industry experience developing test infrastructure with familiarity of device-level embedded software or firmware.

About the team:

The Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) team is responsible for the development and maintenance of HIL infrastructure. This ranges from cloud infrastructure for continuous integration (CI) validation, internal tooling for developer use, as well as development with the physical hardware products Skydio builds; from drones and docks to radios and accessories. We work closely with both the hardware team and the rest of the software organization, creating the foundation for the rest of the Skydio software teams to build upon.

• We work closely with both the hardware team and the rest of the software organization, to bridge the gap between software development and hardware validation.

How you'll make an impact:

• Contribute to the architecture and roadmap of the HIL test framework and its integration with CI

• Design and build new test stations and fixtures and bring new products onto the HIL

• Partner with firmware, platform and product teams to turn their validation needs into reliable automated tests

• Develop new critical use cases to expand hardware validation and development to more broad teams

• Triage failing runs, separate infrastructure problems from product regressions, and route real bugs to the right team

What makes you a good fit:

• Strong Python, with clean, well-tested code and sensible abstraction boundaries

• Software engineering experience, including building or owning test or CI infrastructure

• Solid Linux systems skills: networking, USB/udev, systemd, Docker, shell

• Hands-on embedded Linux experience: flashing, bootloaders and recovery modes, serial consoles, debugging boards that don't boot

• Clear communicator who can support many engineering teams

• Experience / interest in hardware bring-up and system debugging

• Obtaining FAA Part 107 certification within the first 60 days of employment is strongly encouraged for all Skydio employees and required for certain positions.
  
  Compensation: The hourly rate for this position is $47/hr for Undergrad, $53/hr for Graduate students, and $70/hr for PhD students*. Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience. Interns 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/