AI Product Engineer Jobs in San Mateo, CA

INTRODUCTION

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 flying robots are designed to behave less like tools and more like intelligent teammates—systems that can understand their environment, interpret goals, make decisions, and safely execute complex tasks with human oversight but not constant human input. As Staff Product Manager for Vehicle AI, you'll help shape this transformation. You'll own the roadmap for advancing vehicle intelligence, working closely with our world-class autonomy team spanning foundation models, machine learning, perception, planning, simulation, and autonomy UX, with algorithms running both at the edge on the vehicle and in the cloud. You'll partner closely with engineering, design, and customers to define and deliver what autonomous systems should do, how they should interact with humans, and the infrastructure required to continuously improve their capabilities. From data collection and training to evaluation and deployment, you'll help shape the future of autonomous robotics at Skydio.

LOCATION

This position is based onsite 5 days/week at our HQ in San Mateo, CA. We offer relocation assistance if needed.

WHAT YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR

- Own the roadmap for advancing Skydio's autonomous capabilities and vehicle intelligence.
- Define how autonomous systems should perceive, reason, plan, communicate, and act in real-world environments.
- Work with customers and field teams to understand operational workflows and translate them into autonomy requirements.
- Drive the end-to-end autonomy development lifecycle, including data collection, labeling, training, simulation, evaluation, deployment, and monitoring.
- Define benchmarks, success metrics, and validation frameworks for autonomy performance, safety, and reliability.
- Own the user experience of autonomy, including how operators specify goals, understand system intent, and collaborate with autonomous systems.
- Partner across machine learning, perception, planning, simulation, data platform, and software engineering teams to deliver new capabilities.
- Evaluate and apply emerging technologies, including foundation models, multimodal AI, and agentic systems.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS

- 7+ years building deeply technical products in robotics, AI/ML, autonomous systems, or other complex software domains.
- Strong technical fluency and comfort working closely with engineers on system architecture, model performance, and technical tradeoffs.
- Experience building products that improve through data, machine learning, or continuous feedback loops.
- Experience and aptitude for large scale data analytics skills and ability to generate data-driven insights.
- Passion for understanding real-world customer workflows and translating them into product strategy.
- Excellent judgment in ambiguous environments and the ability to prioritize high-impact opportunities.
- Strong ownership mindset and a track record of driving cross-functional initiatives from concept to deployment.
- 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

At Skydio, our compensation packages for regular, full-time employees 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. The annual base salary range for this position is $196,500 - $250,000. Fundamentally, we believe that equity is the key to long-term financial growth, and we ensure all regular, full-time employees have the opportunity to significantly benefit from the company's success. Regular, full-time employees are eligible to enroll in the Company’s group health insurance plans. Regular, full-time employees 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.

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/