Electrical Engineer - Camera

Employer description

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:

Skydio’s cameras are critical to autonomous navigation, situational awareness, and capturing high-quality imagery in demanding environments. As an Electrical Engineer, you will design, bring up, test, and refine the electronics that let our camera modules, gimbals, and imaging payloads perform reliably in the field.

You will take ownership of circuits and boards, from schematic through bring-up and into production. You will work hands-on in the lab and collaborate closely with mechanical, optical, firmware, reliability, manufacturing, and supplier engineering teams. You will work alongside experienced engineers and grow into broader ownership of our camera electronics. This is an individual-contributor role for an engineer with a few years of product experience who enjoys detailed circuit design, careful layout, lab bring-up, and methodical debugging.

How you’ll make an impact:

Design schematics and drive PCB, flex, and rigid-flex layouts with the layout team for camera modules, gimbal electronics, sensor boards, and related subsystems.

Design and integrate image sensors, camera interfaces (e.g. MIPI CSI-2), and supporting electronics.

Design power circuits for gimbals and cameras, considering power sequencing and tight thermal and space constraints.

Select components against electrical, thermal, size, lifecycle, and supply-chain requirements, and qualify second sources and drop-in alternates.

Do the circuit analysis and simulation behind your designs, including power budgets, thermal estimates, signal and power integrity, and worst-case component tolerances.

Work with the layout team and fab vendors on stackups, impedance control, DFM feedback, and Gerber/working-data reviews for rigid and flexible circuits.

Bring up new boards, write test plans, and characterize performance using oscilloscopes, power analyzers, electronic loads, thermal cameras, and similar equipment.

Design test fixtures, tester and adapter boards, and measurement setups for camera development, validation, and production test.

Bring up quick-prototyped test circuits using local and subcontractor capabilities

Investigate electrical and electromechanical failures, find root causes, and help drive and verify corrective actions.

Support EMC, environmental, and reliability testing, including test setup, sample preparation, execution, data collection, and failure analysis.

Work with firmware and software engineers on hardware interfaces, register configuration, bring-up scripts, and debug.

Write clear engineering reports and contribute to design reviews that document decisions, test results, and open risks.

Contribute across the product cycle, from early concepts and prototypes through design validation, pre-production, and mass-production support.

 What makes you a good fit:

You don’t need experience in every area listed. We value strong fundamentals and a drive to learn the rest.

Master’s degree in electrical engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.

3+ years of industry experience designing electronics for physical products.

Hands-on experience taking boards from schematic capture through layout, bring-up, and debug.

Good knowledge of power electronics, mixed-signal design, and digital interfaces such as I²C, SPI, and UART.

Practical lab skills with oscilloscopes, power supplies, electronic loads, and similar equipment. Ability to maintain and expand our electrical lab capability locally.

Ability to read datasheets carefully, justify component choices, and document test methods and results clearly.

A detail-oriented, methodical approach to debugging, characterization, and failure analysis.

Ability to work well across mechanical, optical, firmware, reliability, manufacturing, and supplier teams.

Curiosity, initiative, and a willingness to learn in a fast-paced product-development environment.

A strong interest in cameras, robotics, drones, or imaging systems.

Experience with Cadence OrCAD/Allegro or similar industry-standard tools.

Experience in communicating requirements clearly to suppliers throughout the project lifecycle.

Nice to have:

Experience designing flex or rigid-flex circuits, including stackups, impedance control, and DFM.

Experience with image sensors, MIPI camera interfaces, or camera modules.

Signal and power integrity analysis or simulation.

EMC, environmental, or reliability testing.

Experience on quick prototyping paths in electronics development.

Qualifying second sources or component alternates.

Scripting experience (e.g. Python) for test automation and data analysis.

Compensation: At Skydio, our compensation packages 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. Fundamentally, we believe that equity is the key to long-term financial growth, and we ensure employees have the opportunity to significantly benefit from the company’s success. Employees are entitled to statutory benefits in accordance with Finnish law. Additional benefits, if any, are determined by the Company’s policies and the terms of the employment contract.

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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/