UAV Integration & R&D Engineer

Griffyn AI Labs; Pune District; On-site; INR 1,500,000 - 2,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Griffyn AI Labs in Pune seeks an experienced UAV Integration Engineer to lead subsystem integration for multi-rotor, fixed-wing, and hybrid platforms. You will configure autopilots, tune flight controllers, and execute rigorous ground and flight tests to validate performance against requirements.

The role requires 3–4 years in UAV integration, strong telemetry analysis, and a solid grasp of UAV architecture.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in Engineering or closely related discipline.
• 3–4 years of experience in UAV/drone integration, testing, and validation on defense-grade or enterprise-grade platforms.
• Hands-on experience with PX4 and ArduPilot ecosystems and Pixhawk-class flight controllers, including configuration, tuning, and log analysis.
• Proven experience conducting ground and flight tests, analyzing telemetry, and validating system performance against requirements.
• Solid understanding of UAV system architecture: avionics, propulsion, RF/telemetry, power, payloads, and safety interlocks.

Responsibilities

• Lead integration of UAV subsystems including flight controllers, avionics, propulsion, power systems, payloads, telemetry, RC links, and ground control interfaces for multicopters, fixed-wing, and hybrid platforms.
• Configure, tune, and validate autopilot stacks (flight modes, PID tuning, failsafe logic, sensor calibration, safety parameters) using Mission Planner/QGroundControl.
• Plan and execute ground and flight tests for defense-grade UAVs with preflight checks, envelope expansion, performance validation, and reliability testing.
• Perform system-level calculations (performance, endurance, payload, power budgets, link budgets, weight & balance) for mission planning.
• Analyze flight logs/telemetry/test data to identify issues and drive optimization of stability and reliability.
• Lead root-cause analysis across hardware, firmware, RF, power, and system integration; coordinate fixes with cross-functional teams.
• Own integration procedures, wiring standards, configuration baselines, and version control for UAV variants; ensure repeatable processes.
• Collaborate with R&D to evaluate new components and mature prototypes into deployable systems.
• Prepare and review technical documentation including integration plans, harness diagrams, test plans, and maintenance guidelines.
• Mentor a small team of integration and test engineers/technicians to ensure safety and quality.

Skills

PX4

ArduPilot

Flight testing

Telemetry analysis

System integration

Education

Bachelor’s/ Master’s Engineering degree

Job description

• Bachelors/ Masters Engineering degree, or closely related discipline.
• 3–4 years of experience in UAV/drone integration, testing, and validation, preferably on defensegrade or enterprisegrade platforms.
• Strong handson experience with PX4, ArduPilot ecosystem and Pixhawkclass flight controllers, including configuration, tuning, and log analysis.
• Proven experience conducting ground and flight tests, analysing telemetry, and validating system performance against requirements.
• Solid understanding of UAV system architecture: avionics, propulsion, RF/telemetry, power systems, payloads, and safety interlocks.Role & responsibilities
• Lead integration of UAV subsystems including flight controllers (Pixhawk/ArduPilot), avionics, propulsion, power systems, payloads, telemetry, RC links, and ground control interfaces for multirotor, fixedwing, and hybrid platforms.
• Configure, tune, and validate PX4 or ArduPilotbased autopilot stacks (flight modes, PID tuning, failsafe logic, sensor calibration, safety parameters) using Mission Planner / QGroundControl or similar tools.
• Plan and execute ground tests and flight tests for defensegrade UAVs, including preflight checks, envelope expansion, performance validation, and reliability/stress testing under missionlike scenarios.
• Perform systemlevel calculations (performance, endurance, payload, power budgets, link budgets, weight & balance) and basic aircraft/UAV calculations to support platform sizing and mission planning.
• Analyze flight logs, telemetry, and test data to identify issues, validate performance, and drive optimization of stability, efficiency, and reliability.
• Lead rootcause analysis and troubleshooting across hardware, firmware, RF, power, and system integration issues; coordinate fixes with mechanical, electrical, software, and production teams.
• Own integration procedures, wiring standards, configuration baselines, and version control for different UAV variants; ensure repeatable, productionready integration processes.
• Collaborate with R&D teams to evaluate new components (sensors, radios, payloads, autopilots), run integration experiments, and mature prototypes into deployable defensegrade systems.
• Prepare and review technical documentation including integration plans, harness diagrams, test plans, validation reports, and user/maintenance guidelines.
• Manage and mentor a small team of integration and test engineers/technicians: allocate tasks, review work, provide technical guidance, and ensure safety and quality standards are followed.

Preferred candidate profile

• Experience working on defensegrade UAV programs or government/security applications, with awareness of mission reliability and safety constraints.
• Familiarity with MAVLink, mission planning workflows, and integration with ground control stations and commandandcontrol systems.
• Knowledge of aircraft and UAV performance calculations, weight and balance, and basic flight mechanics.
• Exposure to documentation and compliance with internal safety SOPs and relevant UAV regulations.
• Strong leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills; ability to coordinate crossfunctional engineering efforts and represent integration status to management.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s/ Master’s Engineering degree, or closely related discipline.
• 3–4 years of experience in UAV/drone integration, testing, and validation, preferably on defensegrade or enterprisegrade platforms.
• Strong handson experience with PX4, ArduPilot ecosystem and Pixhawkclass flight controllers, including configuration, tuning, and log analysis.
• Proven experience conducting ground and flight tests, analysing telemetry, and validating system performance against requirements.
• Solid understanding of UAV system architecture: avionics, propulsion, RF/telemetry, power systems, payloads, and safety interlocks.