--- title: 'Director, SLED Solutions Engineering at Skydio' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/director-sled-solutions-engineering-skydio-united-states-ry3yyzx6byww' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-24' --- # Director, SLED Solutions Engineering at Skydio - **Company:** [Skydio](https://feeny.ai/companies/skydio) - **Location:** United States - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** remote - **Posted:** 2026-09-18 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-24 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/skydio/817f974c-0eb7-46d7-91db-4239b1a8b572 ## Job description Skydio is the leading US drone company and the world leader in autonomous flight, the key technology for the future of drones and aerial mobility. The Skydio team combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence, best-in-class hardware and software product development, operational excellence, and customer obsession to empower a broader, more diverse audience of drone users, from [utility inspectors](https://www.skydio.com/solutions/energy-and-utilities) to [first responders](https://www.skydio.com/solutions/public-safety), [soldiers in battlefield scenarios](https://www.skydio.com/solutions/national-security/tactical-isr), and [beyond](https://www.skydio.com/solutions). About the Role: Skydio is seeking an experienced Solutions Engineering leader to join our team as Director, Solutions Engineering for SLED. This role owns the technical outcome for state and local government, education, and corrections across the United States and Canada. It is a leader of leaders role: you will build and run a multi-team organization through a year of significant growth, and the bar you set for hiring and technical quality is the one the whole vertical inherits. This is a remote role. Travel of approximately 30% is required to support customer engagements, field activities, deployments, team onsites, and company events. This role reports to the VP, Solutions Engineering. ## About the Team The SLED Solutions Engineering team is the technical arm of Skydio's state and local go-to-market motion. We sit between the agency and the product: turning operational problems into program designs, proving capability in the field, and making sure Skydio's products are used, integrated, and flown at scale. The team is measured on technical win rate, trial and proof of concept outcomes, program expansion, site assessment quality, and the requirements we push back into the product organization. Solutions Engineers are critical members of the Skydio organization and work closely with Key Account Leaders, Engineering, and Product to support deal progression, customer confidence, successful deployments, and the long-term success of Public Safety sUAS programs. As Director you are the technical counterpart to the VP of SLED Sales, and you own the coverage model that pairs the two organizations together. How You’ll Make an Impact: Lead the leaders - Recruit, hire, and develop Senior Managers, and create the path that takes strong Solutions Engineers into their first management role. - Hold each manager to a segment outcome rather than an activity count, and coach them on coaching. - Scale the organization without losing the bar. Hiring velocity in the first half of the year is the single largest execution risk in the plan. - Own the operating rhythm of the vertical: forecast reviews, capacity decisions, and the escalation path when demand for technical resources exceeds supply. Drive technical wins - Own the technical win across all of SLED, and own the coverage model that pairs Solutions Engineering to the sales organization seat for seat. Defend it, or revise it with evidence, each planning cycle. - Partner with the VP of SLED Sales as the technical counterpart on segmentation, territory design, and headcount, and bring a defensible position rather than a request. - Represent SLED in forecast, planning, and executive reviews, and bring technical risk forward early rather than at the end of the quarter. Own the SLED problem set - Own site assessment quality as a performance measure. Solutions Engineers are the DRI for verifying a dock location before deployment, and the quality of the resulting installation reflects on the team. - Hold the bar on proofs of concept: structured deployments tied to an active opportunity with measurable operational value, not casual evaluations. - Guide integration and airspace strategy — CAD and dispatch, video and evidence management, streaming platforms, BVLOS approvals, waivers, COAs, and docked operations. - Maintain command of the public sector procurement path, including cooperative contracts, grant funded programs, and public sector buying cycles. Represent the customer inside Skydio - Be the aggregated voice of the customer to Product and Engineering. Turn field observations into prioritized, defensible requirements rather than a list of one-off asks. - Build the enablement content, reference architectures, and reusable technical assets that let the team scale, and maintain first-hand product knowledge through frequent hands-on use. What Makes You a Good Fit: - 8+ years of relevant technical experience, including time in a customer-facing technical role. - 2+ years leading leaders. A track record of managing managers, or of managing a team large enough to have required a second layer. - A record of building organizations through fast growth — hiring, onboarding, and retaining technical people at volume. - Strong understanding of drone technology, Public Safety sUAS operations, and regulatory compliance, including Drone as First Responder concepts of operation and dock based remote operations. - Working knowledge of Public Safety technologies, including CAD, VMS, and related software platforms, and the ability to lead integration discussions. - Fluency in the commercial side of the business: coverage models, forecast discipline, deal strategy, and the judgment to know when to commit technical resources and when to decline. - Experience with state and local government procurement, including cooperative contracts, grant funded programs, and public sector buying cycles. - Excellent written and verbal communication. You can brief an operator, a program manager, and a senior executive without changing the facts. - Lead by example. Willing to do whatever is needed to get a customer situation resolved. ## Nice to Have - Prior public safety service as a sworn officer, firefighter, or agency UAS program lead. - Experience standing up a Drone as First Responder program from waiver through go-live, and with dock-based, remote, and BVLOS operations at scale. - Familiarity with grant funding pathways and cooperative purchasing vehicles used by state and local agencies. - Working knowledge of Salesforce, Palantir, Databricks, or equivalents. - Track record of building and scaling a technical team through a period of rapid growth. What Is Required - Ability to travel approximately 30% of the time. - Ability to lift up to 60 lbs unaided. - Obtaining FAA Part 107 certification within the first 60 days of employment is strongly encouraged for all Skydio employees and required for certain positions. Compensation: At Skydio, our compensation packages for regular, full-time employees include competitive base salaries, equity in the form of stock options, and comprehensive benefits packages. Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience. Relocation assistance may also be provided for eligible roles. The annual base salary range for this position is $196,000 - $245,000*. Fundamentally, we believe that equity is the key to long-term financial growth, and we ensure all regular, full-time employees have the opportunity to significantly benefit from the company's success. Regular, full-time employees are eligible to enroll in the Company’s group health insurance plans. Regular, full-time employees are eligible to receive the following benefits: Paid vacation time, sick leave, holiday pay and 401K savings plan. This position and all associated benefits are subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as the Company’s policies and eligibility criteria. *Compensation for certain positions may vary based on the position’s location. ## #LI-AY1 At Skydio we believe that diversity drives innovation. We have created a multidisciplinary environment that embraces the power of diverse perspectives to create elegant solutions for complex problems. We are committed to growing our network of people, programs, and resources to nurture an inclusive culture. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or other characteristics protected by federal, state or local anti-discrimination laws. For positions located in the United States of America, Skydio, Inc. uses E-Verify to confirm employment eligibility. To learn more about E-Verify, including your rights and responsibilities, please visit https://www.e-verify.gov/ ## About Skydio ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Skydio builds autonomous drones and platforms for public safety, critical infrastructure inspection, and national security, enabling safer, smarter, and faster data collection. - **Entity Type**: Private – Series E ($230M raised) - **Headquarters**: San Mateo, California, United States (manufacturing hub in Hayward, CA; satellite offices in Boston, Japan, and India) - **Founded**: 2014 - **Founders**: Adam Bry (CEO) and Abe Bachrach (CTO) – both MIT graduates and co-founders of Google’s Project Wing ## Core Business - **Primary industries**: Drone manufacturing, autonomous flight software, public safety / first responder technology, infrastructure inspection, defense / national security - **Target customers**: B2G (government/public safety), B2B (energy, utilities, construction, surveying), and defense organizations - **Mission statement**: “To make the world more productive, creative, and safe with autonomous flight” ## Products & Services - **[Skydio X10](https://www.skydio.com/)**: Flagship autonomous drone with best-in-class sensors, advanced AI, and cloud integration – designed for outdoor inspection, DFR, and site security. - **[Skydio R10](https://www.skydio.com/)**: Indoor-capable, compact drone for tight quarters (e.g., building interiors) with onboard lighting and communications. - **[Skydio Dock for X10](https://www.skydio.com/)**: Remote docking station enabling autonomous launch, landing, and charging – supports unattended mission execution. - **[Skydio Cloud & Software Platform](https://www.skydio.com/)**: End-to-end software for mission planning, live streaming, data processing, and fleet management (includes Drone as First Responder solutions, asset inspection, and mapping). ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Funding**: $230 million raised in a Series E round (led by Linse Capital, with participation from Andreessen Horowitz, Next47, IVP, DoCoMo, Nvidia, UP.Partners; angel investors include Brendan Iribe, Naval Ravikant, Padma Warrior, Matt Bellamy, Magic Johnson, Justin Timberlake, Kevin Durant). Valuation not publicly disclosed. - **Key Metric**: Over 60,000 drones delivered; “9 figures of annual revenue” (i.e., $100M+) with rapid growth [skydio.com/careers](https://www.skydio.com/careers). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Andreessen Horowitz, Nvidia, IVP, DoCoMo, UP.Partners. - **Growth Signals**: Company reports rapid revenue growth; expanding into national security contracts; manufacturing hub in Hayward; global presence with offices in Tokyo, Singapore, Zurich. ## Competitive Advantages - **Purely U.S. based** – designed, assembled, and supported in the USA, meeting strict national security and supply chain standards. - **Deep AI autonomy** – world-leading computer vision and autonomous flight technology, built by a team that pioneered the field at MIT and Google X. - **Full-stack platform** – drones, docks, cloud software, and mission-specific integrations create a locked-in ecosystem that’s hard to replicate. - **Mission-critical trust** – deployed by police departments, defense agencies, and utilities for life-saving and infrastructure-protecting missions. ## Strategic Focus - **Scaling drone-as-a-first-responder (DFR)** programs across public safety agencies. - **Expanding defense & national security** verticals (survivable sUAS, battlefield situational awareness). - **Deepening enterprise inspection & mapping** offerings for energy, telecom, and civil infrastructure. - **International growth** – offices in Japan, India, Singapore, Switzerland, and Finland. ## Why Work Here - **Purpose-driven impact** – work on tech that “makes our world safer and more efficient” (autonomous drones for first responders, search & rescue, battlefield awareness). - **Cutting-edge engineering** – stack spans AI/robotics, computer vision, cloud, mobile, aerodynamics, sensors, and hardware; described as “the Mount Everest of technology.” - **Collaborative culture** – “intense but rewarding”; teams include world-class engineers, special forces operators, and industry experts. - **Hybrid/office** – headquarters in San Mateo (Bay Area) with manufacturing in Hayward; satellite offices in Boston, Japan, and India. Many engineering roles are on-site or hybrid, but some positions list remote (US) availability. - **Notable perks** – no explicit perks listed, but culture emphasizes real-world impact, cross-functional work, and autonomy to solve hard problems. ## Sources 1. [skydio.com](https://www.skydio.com/) – Main site (products, mission, drone capabilities) 2. [skydio.com/about](https://www.skydio.com/about) – Founders, leadership, and company history 3. [skydio.com/careers](https://www.skydio.com/careers) – Company stats (60k drones, 9-figure revenue, mission, culture, office locations) 4. [linkedin.com/company/skydio](https://www.linkedin.com/company/skydio) – Company description 5. [cbinsights.com/company/skydio/financials](https://www.cbinsights.com/company/skydio/financials) – Funding round details (Series E, $230M) ## Other roles at Skydio - [Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering - State, Local, Educational (SLED) Small Cities](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-solutions-engineering-state-local-educational-sled-small-cities-vedqbr7n4taj) — United States - [Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering - Launch Team Readiness, West](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-solutions-engineering-launch-team-readiness-west-skydio-united-szxef1g6zssy) — United States - [Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering - National Security (Defense)](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-solutions-engineering-national-security-defense-skydio-united-v6xegndjqkka) — United States - [Senior Manager, Solutions Engineering - State, Local, Educational (SLED) Majors East](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-manager-solutions-engineering-state-local-educational-sled-majors-east-k34rxks7yg9t) — United States - [Electrical Engineer Intern - Winter 2027](https://feeny.ai/job/electrical-engineer-intern-winter-2027-skydio-san-mateo-california-7yf0pvbcwerp) — San Mateo California, United States - [Hardware Product Management Intern - Fall 2026/Winter 2027](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-product-management-intern-fall-2026-winter-2027-skydio-san-mateo-s0dxz70z59ev) — San Mateo California, United States - [Deployment and Support Engineer (Japan)](https://feeny.ai/job/deployment-and-support-engineer-japan-skydio-tokyo-5k4e0306bbwr) — Tokyo, Japan - [Senior Autonomy Engineer - Computer Vision](https://feeny.ai/job/senior-autonomy-engineer-computer-vision-skydio-san-mateo-california-zsk915tyc15j) — San Mateo California, United States - [Recruiting Coordinator](https://feeny.ai/job/recruiting-coordinator-skydio-san-mateo-california-p70p43jgenyh) — San Mateo California, United States - [Camera & Imaging Intern](https://feeny.ai/job/camera-imaging-intern-skydio-tampere-5nf75hb914wh) — Tampere, Finland