Hardware In Loop (HIL) Software Engineer Intern - Winter 2027

Skydio•San Mateo, CA

1d•$47 - $70

About The Position

Skydio is seeking interns for the Winter 2027 season to contribute to the development and optimization of its embedded hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) system. The work includes the Python test framework, CI integration, physical test-station fleet, and the devices used on those stations. The intern will help guide the system’s technical direction, maintain reliability as products and tests grow, and make it easier for other teams to add tests. The HIL team develops and maintains infrastructure spanning cloud-based continuous-integration validation, internal developer tooling, and Skydio physical hardware products, including drones, docks, radios, and accessories. The team works closely with hardware and software organizations to bridge software development and hardware validation and provide a foundation for other software teams. The ideal candidate is a junior, senior, or MS-level college student with industry experience developing test infrastructure and familiarity with device-level embedded software or firmware. Obtaining FAA Part 107 certification within the first 60 days of employment is strongly encouraged for all Skydio employees and required for certain positions.

Requirements

Strong Python skills, including writing clean, well-tested code with sensible abstraction boundaries.
Software engineering experience, including building or owning test or CI infrastructure.
Solid Linux systems skills, including networking, USB/udev, systemd, Docker, and shell.
Hands-on embedded Linux experience, including flashing, bootloaders and recovery modes, serial consoles, and debugging boards that do not boot.
Clear communication skills to support multiple engineering teams.

Nice To Haves

Experience or interest in hardware bring-up and system debugging.
Familiarity with device-level embedded software or firmware.
Industry experience developing test infrastructure.

Responsibilities

Contribute to the architecture and roadmap of the HIL test framework and its integration with CI.
Design and build new test stations and fixtures, and bring new products onto the HIL.
Partner with firmware, platform, and product teams to turn validation needs into reliable automated tests.
Develop critical use cases that expand hardware validation and development to more teams.
Triage failing runs, distinguish infrastructure problems from product regressions, and route genuine bugs to the appropriate team.