Field Drone Technician - Hardware & Software

Swan; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision

Flexible vacation policy

401(k) + commuter benefits

Job summary

Swan in San Francisco is seeking a hands-on Forward Deployed Drone Technician who thrives at the intersection of hardware and software. You will assemble, provision, and test our autonomous aerial pods, then deploy with our engineering team during flight tests, demonstrations, and customer operations worldwide.

This role requires Linux proficiency, experience with electro-mechanical assembly, and willingness to travel internationally—including Ukraine.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of hands-on technician experience in hardware/software integration.
• Experience assembling electro-mechanical assemblies and following drawings.
• Experience installing firmware/software and provisioning hardware for field use.
• Comfort with Linux and command-line tools.
• Familiarity with SolidWorks and Jira for issue tracking.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally, including to Ukraine, up to ~50%.
• Based in the San Francisco Bay Area with a hybrid schedule (1–2 days remote).
• Must be a U.S. Citizen (export-controlled data).

Responsibilities

• Assemble, integrate, and provision Swan's pods and pod components — mechanical build-up, electronics and cable/harness installation, and end-to-end system checkouts.
• Install, update, and troubleshoot firmware and software across our aerial systems; provision and configure units for test and deployment.
• Provide hands-on hardware and software support at flight test, including running data collection on the DIVE and SOLO pods.
• Diagnose and resolve hardware and software issues in the field quickly and methodically under real-world conditions.
• Travel domestically and internationally — including to Ukraine — to support testing, demonstrations, and customer integrations.
• Track work, issues, and configuration in Jira; document build and test procedures and feed field insights back to engineering.
• Maintain tooling, ground support equipment, and shipping/deployment readiness.

Skills

Hardware integration

Software integration

UAS/Robotics

Electro-mechanical assembly

Troubleshooting

Tools

SolidWorks

Jira

Linux

Job description

Swan in San Francisco is seeking a hands-on Forward Deployed Drone Technician who thrives at the intersection of hardware and software. You will assemble, provision, and test our autonomous aerial pods, then deploy with our engineering team during flight tests, demonstrations, and customer operations worldwide.

This role requires Linux proficiency, experience with electro-mechanical assembly, and willingness to travel internationally—including Ukraine.