Drone Operator and Engineer

Sentradel; Nevada (IA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Sentradel in Minden, Nevada, seeks a Drone Operator to build, program, and fly drones for live-fire demos and testing. You will own the fleet end to end—airframes, firmware, flight profiles, and repairs between sorties—while supporting customers across the United States.

You will deploy autonomous flight, modify firmware, and operate as pilot in command during tests and demonstrations, with extensive hands-on drone-building duties and data extraction for the engineering team.

Qualifications

• Extensive ArduPilot experience including Mission Planner, tuning, and custom builds.
• Ability to read logs and explain aircraft behavior.
• FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate is required.
• Experience building drones from bare frames and field repair skills.
• Expert level stick time, both manual and autonomous flight.
• Experience fixing a broken aircraft in the field and flying it again the same day.

Responsibilities

• Build, wire, solder, and repair the target drone fleet.
• Flash and configure flight controllers, tune aircraft for repeatable test profiles.
• Modify ArduPilot code for new behaviors and safety profiles.
• Plan and fly autonomous missions producing consistent engagements.
• Serve as pilot in command at range tests and customer demos across the US.
• Own batteries, radios, ground stations, and spares for test days.
• Pull flight logs and produce usable test data for engineers.

Skills

ArduPilot

Mission Planner

Log analysis

Custom builds

Parameter tuning

FAA Part 107

Drone hardware

Pilot in command

Autonomous flight

Field repair

Tools

ArduPilot codebase

Firmware flashing

Job description

About Sentradel

Over 90 percent of combat deaths in Ukraine are caused by small drones. In Colombia, over 100 military and police officers have been killed by cartel operated drones. Shahed drones hit civilian and military targets across the Middle East uncontested. Unjammable fiber optic and AI controlled drones are making the threat cheaper, faster, and harder to stop. This problem will only get worse.

Sentradel is a defense startup building autonomous, low cost kinetic turret systems designed to defeat Group 1 (small FPV drones) and low flying Group 2 drone threats. We have shot down dozens of drones in live fire testing, have active Department of War agreements, commercial partnerships, and sales.

How we work

Full time, in person at our Minden, Nevada office. We also travel and test frequently at ranges across the US with partners and customers.

Job Overview

Every live fire test we run needs a target in the air. We are seeking a Drone Operator to build, program, and fly the drones our turret shoots down, and to run the flight side of demos in front of customers. You own the fleet end to end: airframes, firmware, flight profiles, and the repairs between sorties.

Responsibilities

• Build, wire, solder, and repair the target drone fleet
• Flash and configure flight controllers, tune aircraft for repeatable test profiles
• Modify ArduPilot source to get behavior stock firmware will not do, including speed caps, failsafes, and autonomous attack profiles
• Plan and fly autonomous missions that produce consistent, repeatable engagements for the turret
• Serve as pilot in command at range tests and customer demos across the US
• Own batteries, radios, ground stations, and spares so a test day never stops for a missing part
• Pull flight logs and turn them into usable test data for the engineering team

Qualifications

• Extensive ArduPilot experience: Mission Planner, parameter tuning, custom builds, and reading a log to explain why the aircraft did what it did
• You can read the ArduPilot codebase, modify it, compile it, and flash it yourself
• FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
• You have built drones from bare frames: soldering, wiring, ESCs, motors, power, and RF
• Expert level stick time, manual and autonomous
• You have fixed a broken aircraft in the field and flown it again the same day

Bonus Skills

• INAV or Betaflight experience
• Python or C++
• FPV and fixed wing experience
• Prior military or commercial UAS operations background

US Person Requirement

Sentradel is a US defense contractor and this role involves access to export-controlled technical data. Applicants must be a US Person as defined under ITAR (22 CFR 120.62): a US citizen, US lawful permanent resident (green card holder), or a protected individual such as a refugee or asylee.