Updated continuously

Drone Software Jobs

Software is where much of the drone industry's hardest problems are solved — autonomy, perception, flight control and the systems that let aircraft fly and navigate on their own. These roles are among the best-paid in the field. Below are the latest drone software jobs from companies hiring now.

Roles open
306
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John Deere

Staff Software Engineer - Mobile (iOS) - Sentera

St Paul, United States
On-siteFull-timeSenior
$123,804 - $185,700/yr
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Quantum- Systems GmbH

Senior Embedded Software Engineer – EO/IR Gimbal Systems (m/f/d)

Gilching, Germany
On-siteFull-timeSenior
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Fiducial

Software Generalist — Tools, Dashboards, Frameworks & Performance (Python / Rust / C++ / Web)

Delft, Netherlands
HybridFull-time
SL
Swarmint LLC

Robotics & UAS Software Engineer

Arlington, United States
On-siteFull-timeMid-Level
$120,000 - $220,000/yr
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Shield AI

Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Weapons (R5400)

Washington, United StatesSan Diego, United StatesBoston, United StatesDallas, United States
On-siteFull-timeSenior
$195,200 - $292,800/yr
Logo of Shield AI
Shield AI

Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Weapons (R5427)

Washington, United StatesSan Diego, United StatesBoston, United StatesDallas, United States
On-siteFull-timeSenior
$163,200 - $244,800/yr
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Shield AI

Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (R5193)

Washington, United StatesBoston, United StatesSan Diego, United StatesDallas, United States
On-siteFull-timeSenior
$233,760 - $350,640/yr
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Shield AI

Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (R5208)

Washington, United StatesBoston, United StatesSan Diego, United StatesDallas, United States
On-siteFull-timeSenior
$195,200 - $292,800/yr
Logo of Shield AI
Shield AI

Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (R5208)

Washington, United StatesBoston, United StatesSan Diego, United StatesDallas, United States
On-siteFull-timeSenior
$163,200 - $244,800/yr
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Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

Senior Robotics Engineer for Tailored Autonomous Systems Group

Laurel, United States
On-siteFull-timeSenior
$105,000 - $290,000/yr
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Clutch

Responsabile Software - Autonomous Drone Systems

Trieste, Italy
On-siteFull-timeLead
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Regulus

Computer Vision Engineer - Kinetic Drone Interception

Haifa, Israel
On-siteFull-timeSenior
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Sphere Defense

Embedded Software Engineer, Robotics

Brussels, Belgium
On-siteFull-time
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ICEYE

Software Engineer, Unmanned Aircraft (Avionics, Firmware, Autopilot)

Valencia, Spain
On-siteFull-timeSenior
Logo of Field AI
Field AI

Test & Reliability Engineer, Robotics Hardware

Irvine, United States
On-siteFull-timeMid-LevelSenior
$100,000 - $150,000/yr
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Anduril Industries

UAS Integration & Flight Controller Technician

London, United KingdomLlanbedr, United Kingdom
On-siteFull-time
Logo of Anduril Industries
Anduril Industries

Senior Flight Test Engineer - Mission Autonomy (UAS - Fury)

Costa Mesa, United States
On-siteFull-timeSenior
$146,000 - $194,000/yr
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Kraken Kinetics

Embedded Firmware / Software Engineer

Pinehurst, United States
On-siteFull-timeJunior
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TrellisWare Technologies

Software Engineer, Embedded Linux - Unmanned Aircraft Systems

San Diego, United States
HybridFull-timeMid-Level
$115,000 - $200,000/yr
Logo of Gather AI
Gather AI

Staff Autonomy Engineer (Drone)

Pittsburgh, United States
On-siteRemoteFull-timeSenior

The intelligence of a modern drone lives in its software

That covers: flight control and guidance, navigation and control (GNC), autonomy and path planning, computer vision and perception, machine learning for detection and tracking, embedded and firmware development, and the backend and DevOps systems that support fleets in the field. Employers range from defense and autonomy startups to delivery and enterprise-drone companies, and the work often sits at the cutting edge of robotics and AI.

Common requirements include strong programming skills — C++, Rust, Python are frequent — plus experience in robotics, control systems, computer vision or machine learning depending on the role. Many positions are senior and well compensated, reflecting the difficulty of the problems and the competition for people who can solve them. A drone flight certificate is almost never required; this is software engineering applied to aircraft. Roles are updated continuously as companies across the US, Europe and elsewhere post new openings.

Not writing the code? Drone engineer jobs cover the hardware side, and many of these roles are also available as remote drone jobs.

Questions, answered

What are drone software jobs?
Software engineering roles focused on making drones fly, navigate and operate autonomously — including flight control, autonomy, perception, computer vision, machine learning and embedded systems.
What programming languages do drone software jobs use?
C++, Rust and Python are the most common, often alongside robotics frameworks and machine-learning or computer-vision libraries, depending on the specific role.
Do I need to be a drone pilot to work in drone software?
No. These are engineering roles and rarely require a flight certificate. The priority is software, robotics, control-systems or ML experience.
Are drone software jobs well paid?
Generally yes. Autonomy, perception and flight-control roles are among the best-compensated in the industry because of the specialised skills involved. See individual listings for salary ranges.