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> Index of every page on this site: [llms.txt](https://www.dronejobs.app/llms.txt)
# **Drone Jobs in San Diego**
San Diego is the US Navy’s home port and one of the country’s oldest unmanned-aircraft towns. Long-endurance UAS programmes, defence-autonomy companies and a crop of rapid-manufacturing drone start-ups hire systems, GNC, airworthiness, flight test and production staff here. The listings below cover employers across San Diego County hiring now.
- **Roles open **
- **114**
Get notified of new matches.
[****ngc******Sr. Principal Safety Engineer**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**9d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/ngc-sr-principal-safety-engineer)
[****Firestorm******Senior Test Technician**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$32-42/hr18d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/firestorm-senior-test-technician)
[****Applied Intuition******Operational Safety Lead - Defense**
Fort Walton Beach, Florida, United StatesWashington, Washington, D.C., United StatesMountain View, California, United StatesSan Diego, California, United StatesAnn Arbor, Michigan, United States**On-site****Full-time****Lead**$150,000-250,000/yrlast mo.](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/applied-intuition-operational-safety-lead-defense)
[****Shield AI******Staff Aerostructures Design Engineer - Ranger (R6355)**
Seattle, Washington, United StatesSan Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$170,000-250,000/yr11d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/shield-ai-staff-aerostructures-design-engineer-ranger-r6355)
[****Firestorm******Associate Mechanical Test Technician **
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Junior**$20-27/hr25d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/firestorm-associate-mechanical-test-technician)
[****Firestorm******Senior Mechanical Engineer, UAV**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$140,000-170,000/yr21d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/firestorm-senior-mechanical-engineer-uav)
[*Company hidden · Pro only***Staff Engineer Systems and Flight Test-Part Time**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Part-time****Senior**$177,000-265,600/yr6d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/01m6469ws52zhe7e7zzjts1rcm)
[****Mavensoft Technologies, LLC.******Principal Airworthiness Engineer**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Contract****Full-time****Senior**13d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/mavensoft-technologies-llc-principal-airworthiness-engineer)
[****Firestorm******Senior Mechanical Engineering Technician **
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$30-40/hr27d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/firestorm-senior-mechanical-engineering-technician)
[****intrepidgs******Program Manager III - UAS**
Camp Pendleton, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Mid-Level**15d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/intrepidgs-program-manager-iii-uas)
[****APIUM SWARMING TECHNOLOGIES INC******Senior Technical Program Manager**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$132,595-198,95014d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/apium-swarming-technologies-inc-senior-technical-program-manager)
[****Firestorm******Principal, Manufacturing Design Engineer **
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$209,000-237,000/yr28d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/firestorm-principal-manufacturing-design-engineer)
[****Northrop Grumman******Staff Engineer - Guidance Navigation Controls**
San Diego, California, United StatesRoy, Utah, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$152,900-265,600/yr21d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/northrop-grumman-staff-engineer-guidance-navigation-controls)
[*Company hidden · Pro only***Staff Electrical Engineer, Design **
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$165,000-190,000/yr5d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/01m674msdp0bbq1c0z8rxm8ktm)
[****Firestorm******Sr. Staff Project Engineer, UAS Development **
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$195,000-230,000/yr20d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/firestorm-sr-staff-project-engineer-uas-development)
[****RED CAT HOLDINGS******Manufacturing Engineering Technician**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$32-47/hr14d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/red-cat-holdings-manufacturing-engineering-technician)
[****avav******Software Engineering Intern**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Intern**15d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/avav-software-engineering-intern-8)
[****RED CAT HOLDINGS******Senior Technical Program Manager**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$135,700-212,03114d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/red-cat-holdings-senior-technical-program-manager)
[****Shield AI******Chief Engineer, Air Vehicle Lead - MMA**
Seattle, Washington, United StatesSan Diego, California, United States**On-site****Full-time****Senior**$250,000-340,000/yr28d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/shield-ai-chief-engineer-air-vehicle-lead-mma)
[****Northrop Grumman******Staff Engineer Systems and Flight Test-Part Time**
San Diego, California, United States**On-site****Part-time****Senior**$177,000-265,600/yr8d ago](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/northrop-grumman-staff-engineer-systems-and-flight-test-part-time)
San Diego’s drone market is built on defence. The county has supported large, long-endurance unmanned aircraft for decades, and the programmes based in Rancho Bernardo and the city proper still hire systems integrators, airworthiness and safety engineers, GNC specialists and sustainment leads, often with a clearance. Around them, a newer layer of defence-autonomy companies has grown up, posting for avionics thermal, aerostructures, mechanical and flight test engineers who work across San Diego and sister sites elsewhere in the US.
The third pillar is manufacturing. San Diego has become a base for drone start-ups that design aircraft for rapid, low-cost production, and they hire manufacturing design engineers, firmware engineers and senior test and mechanical technicians. Swarm and autonomous-behaviour software, tactical radio and sensor roles fill in the rest, along with UAS programme management at Camp Pendleton. Commercial Part 107 piloting is a small part of this market; it rewards engineers and operators with a defence background.
See the wider [**drone jobs in California**](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/in/united-states/california), browse [**drone engineer jobs**](https://www.dronejobs.app/drone-engineer-jobs), [**drone manufacturing jobs**](https://www.dronejobs.app/drone-manufacturing-jobs) and [**drone software jobs**](https://www.dronejobs.app/drone-software-jobs), or see all [**drone jobs in the US**](https://www.dronejobs.app/jobs/in/united-states).
## **Questions, answered **
- **Why does San Diego have so many drone jobs?**
- It has been building and supporting large unmanned aircraft for decades, mostly in Rancho Bernardo and Poway, and the Navy and Marine Corps presence keeps defence customers close. Newer autonomy and drone-manufacturing start-ups have followed that talent.
- **What kinds of drone jobs are in San Diego?**
- Engineering-heavy: systems and integration engineers, GNC, avionics thermal and aerostructures design, airworthiness and safety, embedded firmware, swarm and autonomy software, plus manufacturing and test technicians at drone start-ups building aircraft at volume.
- **Are there drone pilot jobs in San Diego?**
- A handful, mostly flight test and military operations rather than commercial Part 107 work. Camp Pendleton posts UAS programme and project management roles, and defence firms hire flight test engineers and military operations managers.
- **Do San Diego drone jobs need a security clearance?**
- Many of the roles on large Navy and Air Force UAS programmes require one or US citizenship. Start-up engineering and manufacturing roles are more open, though export-control rules still usually apply.
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