Cloud Software Engineer 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.

Cloud Software JD

About the role:

By combining best-in-class autonomy and cloud-connected real-time visibility, drones will become critical and ubiquitous infrastructure that can be deployed and monitored in real-time to solve a variety of problems faster, cheaper, and safer than ever before.

As a Cloud Software Intern on the Inspection & Mapping (I&M) team, you’ll help build the cloud services, APIs, and user experiences that transform raw drone data into actionable insights. You’ll work on projects that bridge the gap between the field and the cloud — powering mission planning, data synchronization, asset management, and 3D reconstruction workflows at scale.

An ideal intern candidate is a junior, senior, or MS-level college student with practical project and/or internship experience developing complex web applications or backend data systems.

How you’ll make an impact:

• Leverage your past experiences, best practices, and open-ended problem solving skills to help make the world more productive, creative, and safe with autonomous drones.

Project Examples:

• Build customer facing product features to streamline inspection workflows, from flight planning and mission scheduling to data ingestion and reporting.

• Develop web applications and APIs for visualizing 3D scenes, managing inspection results, and tracking asset health over time.

• Improve synchronization and consumption of telemetry, imagery, and mission metadata between fleets of Skydio drones and the cloud.

• Develop secure, efficient, observable, scalable, and robust software for dealing with real-time data and video from fleets of Skydio drones

What makes you a good fit:

• Solid software engineering foundation and a commitment to writing clean, well-architected code

• You are a junior, senior, or MS-level student with meaningful project and/or internship experience developing complex web applications or backend data systems.

• Bonus points for experience shipping products or features within a collaborative engineering team environment.

• Proficiency with Python and/or Javascript/Typescript

• Familiarity with REST-ful APIs, Linux operating system configuration, build tools, relational databases (Postgres, MySQL) and caching systems (Redis, Memcached)

• Understanding of cloud service offerings (AWS, GCP), deployment techniques, and configuration management

• Bonus points for experience with geospatial data, 3D visualization, or photogrammetry workflows.

Compensation Range: The hourly rate for this position is $41/hr for Undergrad, $53/hr for Graduate students, and $58 for PhD students*. Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience.

*For some positions the pay may be dependent upon the individual's regional location.

Autonomy SWE JD

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About the role:

At Skydio, our autonomy stack enables drones to understand, navigate, and map the world with unmatched precision. On the Inspection & Mapping (I&M) team, we build the core autonomy algorithms that power automated data capture of complex infrastructure — from bridges and towers to substations and cell sites.

As an Autonomy Research Intern, you’ll work with world-class experts in computer vision, mapping, and motion planning to push the boundaries of what drones can perceive and accomplish autonomously. You’ll design, implement, and evaluate algorithms that directly improve the fidelity, efficiency, and robustness of large-scale 3D capture and asset inspection missions.

If you have a strong foundation in math, theory, and software development with relevant research and you are interested in directly contributing to the development of the next generation of autonomy algorithms and pushing them into real products, we would love to hear from you.

How you'll make an impact:

• Develop and prototype algorithms that enable drones to autonomously capture high-fidelity inspections and 3D reconstructions of real-world assets.

• Advance perception, mapping, and mission planning techniques for robust operation in challenging GPS-denied or repetitive-structure environments.

• Research and implement new autonomy features that improve inspection coverage, flight safety, and mapping accuracy.

• Characterize and quantify the performance of autonomy components across the full software and hardware stack, from onboard compute to cloud reconstruction.

• Collaborate cross-functionally with computer vision, planning, and cloud teams to integrate your work into the broader I&M pipeline.

What makes you a strong fit:

• High proficiency in Python and/or C++

• Strong foundations in mathematics, optimization, and 3D geometry.

• Demonstrated enthusiasm for one or more of the following:

  • Computer vision (SLAM, structure-from-motion, multi-view geometry)

  • Mapping and localization

  • Robot mission planning / state management / behavioral trees

  • Robotics systems, embedded autonomy, or real-time inference

  • Geospatial data processing or photogrammetry

• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, collaborative, small-team environment

• Experience in building user facing applications to interface with a robotics / image processing ecosystem.

• Solid software engineering foundation and a commitment to writing clean, well-architected code

Compensation: The annual base salary range for this position is $47/hr for Undergrad, and $53/hr for Masters 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.

*For some positions the pay may be dependent upon the individual's regional 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/