Flight Test Engineer, Drone Integration -Founding Team

Flight Test Engineer, Drone Integration

Company Zephyrs X, Pasadena, CA

Work setting On-site, with regular field days at test sites in Southern California

Employment Full-time

Pay $75,000 to $95,000 base salary plus stock options

About Zephyrs X

Zephyrs X makes a positioning sensor for precision landing. It works without GNSS and without cameras. One unit flies on the drone, one sits on the landing point, and the drone lands on that point every time, even after the point has been moved. We are a small team in Pasadena entering our first season of flight testing and our first customer programs.

Why this role exists

We have an engineer who owns the software chain from our sensor into the autopilot. We do not yet have the person who owns the aircraft and the field. You are that person. You build and keep the test drones flying, configure the autopilot to land on our sensor, plan and fly each test, and come back with clean logs and a clear answer to the question the test was asking.

Where our engineer’s job ends, yours begins:

System Integration Engineer (in place)

This role

Owns

Sensor-to-autopilot data chain, interface definition, real-time result display, drone SDK integration

Test aircraft, field test execution, autopilot configuration and tuning, test evidence

Works at

Bench and desk

Airfield and workshop

Changes

Interface code, integration software, tooling

Autopilot parameters, test profiles, glue scripts, aircraft hardware

Delivers

A working data chain

A flown, logged, documented test result

What you will own

• The test fleet. Two to four multirotors on PX4 and ArduPilot: build, wiring, sensor mounting, firmware, calibration, pre-flight and post-flight checks, repairs, spares, and maintenance records.

• Autopilot setup for landing on our sensor. Precision landing and estimator parameters, sensor offsets, flight modes, geofence and failsafe behavior, PID tuning when the airframe needs it. You work from the interface our integration engineer defines; you do not change the sensor software.

• The test plan. For each campaign you write the test cards: objective, setup, steps, pass and fail criteria, abort conditions, wind and light limits. Our campaigns include landing on a fixed point, choosing one of several identical landing points, landing after the point has been moved, and landing on a moving ground vehicle.

• Flight execution. You are the Remote Pilot in Command. You run the pre-flight brief, fly or supervise the flight, make the continue-or-abort call, and run the debrief.

• Ground truth and test rigs. RTK GNSS reference, the moving landing cart, landing platforms, field power, and the fixtures that hold the sensor at known positions and angles.

• Evidence. Pull ULog and DataFlash logs, align them with ground truth, plot the landing error and the approach behavior, and write a two-page test report the same week. Raw data alone does not close a test; the finding does.

• Field problem solving. When a test goes wrong in the field you change parameters and profiles, patch the Python or C++ glue scripts, swap hardware, and get the next flight up the same day.

• Test site campaigns. Prepare aircraft, paperwork, and procedures for campaigns at FAA-designated UAS test sites, and support any airspace authorizations we need.

You are a fit if

• You have 1 to 4 years of hands-on PX4 or ArduPilot work on real aircraft. Industry, a research lab, or a serious student team all count. You have tuned a drone, crashed one, found out why, and fixed it.

• You hold an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate, or can get one within 60 days of starting.

• You know MAVLink at the working level and are at home in QGroundControl or Mission Planner.

• You write Python for log analysis and scripting, and you can read C++ and make small, careful changes.

• You are good with your hands: soldering, harnesses, power distribution, UART and CAN wiring, 3D-printed mounts.

• You keep records without being asked. Test cards, flight logs, and maintenance logs are how you work, not paperwork you tolerate.

• You can work on-site in Pasadena and spend field days at test sites, more during campaigns.

• You are authorized to work in the United States now and in the future without employer sponsorship.

Nice to have

• Precision landing on PX4 or ArduPilot with an IR beacon, fiducial marker, or companion-computer landing target.

• Feeding an external position source into EKF2 or EKF3.

• Companion computers (Raspberry Pi, Jetson), MAVSDK, or ROS 2.

• SITL or Gazebo simulation.

• Flight test at a UAS test site, BVLOS waiver support, or a drone competition such as SUAS or IARC.

• CAD for mounts and fixtures.

What we offer

• $75,000 to $95,000 base salary, set by experience.

• Stock options with four-year vesting.

• Ownership of the flight test program of a new landing technology from its first flights, with direct access to the founder and the engineers who built the sensor.

How to apply

Send a resume and a short note about one aircraft you set up or tuned yourself: what you were trying to get it to do, what went wrong in testing, and what you changed. A link to a flight video or a log is a plus.

Zephyrs X is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic.

LinkedIn screening questions (internal, set up in the posting)

• How many years of hands-on experience do you have configuring or tuning PX4 or ArduPilot on real aircraft? (Numeric, ideal 1 or more)

• Do you currently hold an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate? (Yes or No, preferred Yes)

• Are you able to work on-site in Pasadena, CA? (Yes or No, required Yes)

• Will you now or in the future require sponsorship for employment visa status? (Yes or No, required No)

• Have you set up precision landing (any target type) on PX4 or ArduPilot? (Yes or No, preferred Yes)