Drone Firmware QA / Test & Integration Engineer

About the role

At ZONEFLY CO., LTD., we design and manufacture high-reliability autonomous UAV platforms and aerospace systems. We are seeking a Drone Firmware QA / Test & Integration Engineer to guarantee the stability, safety, and performance of our proprietary flight controller firmware. In this role, you will serve as the final gatekeeper before code reaches production hardware. You will design rigorous test suites, assemble and calibrate prototype drone builds, execute field flight testing under real-world conditions, and perform deep-dive flight log analysis to provide structured debug data back to our firmware and algorithm teams.

Key responsibilities

• Receive new firmware builds and features; create comprehensive test plans covering manual and automated testing scenarios.
• Assemble, wire, solder, and calibrate target prototype drone hardware (Flight Controllers, ESCs, GNSS, Telemetry, Payload interfaces, and specialized sensors).
• Execute Hardware-in-the-Loop (HITL) and Software-in-the-Loop (SITL) simulations prior to live flight testing.
• Conduct systematic outdoor flight testing across varied environmental conditions to evaluate flight modes, VTOL transitions, custom features, failsafes, smart landing, and path-following accuracy.
• Assist firmware and algorithm developers with live field PID tuning, vibration spectrum analysis, and multi-sensor calibration.
• Enforce strict safety protocols during all flight testing operations.
• Extract and analyze flight logs (DataFlash, ULog, Blackbox) post-flight using Mission Planner Log Viewer, QGroundControl, or PlotJuggler to identify sensor noise, state estimator divergence, or firmware glitches.
• Document edge-case bugs with detailed steps to reproduce, raw telemetry logs, and structured issue tickets (Jira/GitHub) for R&D engineers.

About you

• Drone Piloting Proficiency: Mandatory, safety-focused manual and autonomous UAV piloting skills across multirotor or fixed-wing/VTOL platforms.
• Hardware & Avionics Mastery: Strong understanding of drone electronics, soldering, wiring schematics, multimeters, and circuit troubleshooting.
• Telemetry & Log Analysis: Hands-on experience analyzing flight logs using Mission Planner, QGroundControl, or PlotJuggler.
• Autopilot Ecosystems: Direct experience configuring, parameter-tuning, and testing within ArduPilot, PX4, or Betaflight codebases.
• Field Adaptability: Willingness to perform outdoor flight tests regularly and work on-site alongside R&D hardware/software teams.
• Language: Professional working proficiency in English (written and verbal).
• Scripting experience (Python / MAVLink) for automated test execution or automated log parsing (preferred).
• Basic understanding of C/C++ to assist in pinpointing code-level bugs (preferred).
• Official UAV Commercial/Experimental Remote Pilot License or Certification (e.g., CAAT, FAA Part 107, or equivalent) (preferred).
• Experience with automated test setups for SITL/HITL environments (preferred).

About us

At ZONEFLY CO., LTD., we design and manufacture high-reliability autonomous UAV platforms and aerospace systems. We operate with precision over assumptions, ownership and quality mindset, clear and direct communication, and absolute asset and IP protection.

How We Work at ZONEFLY CO., LTD.

• Precision Over Assumptions: Flight control mathematics demands absolute accuracy. We validate every algorithm mathematically, verify it in SITL/HITL simulation, and stress-test it on real hardware.
• Ownership & Technical Autonomy: You will own your control loops from initial differential equations to flight log verification.
• Clear & Direct Communication: We resolve engineering challenges using flight logs, mathematical proofs, and structured code.
• Absolute IP & Asset Protection: Operating in advanced aerospace technology requires strict adherence to IP security, code protection, and system integrity.