Drone engineer and operator jobs in California
89 open roles for drone engineers and operators in California as of Nov 15, 2026. Anduril Industries, Applied, DoorDash USA, Shield AI and Neros Technologies have the most. The median advertised salary is $172K.
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Skills asked for in drone engineer and operator roles in California
Bars show the share of these 89 roles; one role can count in several rows.
- Lead, UAV Integration TechnicianRainmaker · 🇺🇸El Segundo, CA—Lead and above
- Engineering Manager, Air Vehicle Mechanical Systems (R5391)Shield AI · 🇺🇸San Diego, CA, US—Performance managementAviationGD&T
- Senior Test Pilot, RotorcraftAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$147K - $196KSeniorComputer VisionSecurity clearanceSensor fusion
- Senior Electrical Engineer, Drone (High-Voltage & Low-Voltage Power Systems)Applied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$170K - $240KSeniorPythonMATLABNetwork engineering
- Staff Robotics Software Engineer, CUAS, OmenAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States—Lead and aboveRustPythonC++
- Senior Flight Test Engineer - Mission Autonomy (UAS - Fury)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$147K - $196KSeniorPythonC++ROS
- Flight Test Engineer - Mission Autonomy (UAS - Fury)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$117K - $154KPythonC++ROS
- Senior Manufacturing Engineer, DronesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Santa Ana, California, United States · +1 more location$147K - $196KSeniorComputer VisionSecurity clearanceControl systems
- Autonomy Integration Engineer (Drone Stack)Applied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$120K - $175KPythonC++Docker
- Ground Loads Engineer, Air VehiclesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$132K - $175KPythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Senior Technician, Unmanned System Test Operator (R5413)Shield AI · 🇺🇸San Diego, CA, US—SeniorSecurity clearanceControl systemsAviation
- Drone Operations, Intern - Labs (Summer 2027)DoorDash USA · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA—Intern
- UAS Pilot/Flight Test & Mission OperatorCHAOS Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, California, United States$130K - $180KGoPythonJira
- Staff UAS Flight Test Operator - 5793Shield AI · 🇺🇸San Diego, CA, US$57 - $85 an hourLead and aboveLinuxROSTest planning
- Senior Manager, Electrical Engineering - DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$258K - $316KSeniorTest equipmentHardware interfacesPCB design
- Head of Drone HardwareApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$270K - $355KLead and aboveHardware testingPCB designRoot cause analysis
- Hardware Systems Lead, DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$200K - $270KLead and aboveMechatronicsHardware testingLidar
- Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$225K - $310KSeniorCADAviationCNC machining
- Electromechanical Integration Engineer - Air VehiclesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$132K - $175KComputer VisionSecurity clearanceMechatronics
- Senior Mechanical Engineer, DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$170K - $260KSeniorCADAviationCNC machining
- UAS Operations Specialist - Ground SupportDoorDash USA · 🇺🇸Bay Point, CA; Concord, CA—
- Systems Engineer, Army (CUAS)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Irvine, California, United States$146K - $194KPythonLinuxComputer Vision
- Tooling Design Engineer, Air VehiclesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$129K - $171KComputer VisionSecurity clearanceSensor fusion
- UAS Operations Specialist - PilotDoorDash USA · 🇺🇸Concord, CA; Bay Point, CA—
- UAS Operations Specialist, LabsDoorDash USA · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA—
- Principal Engineer, cUAS Lead, OmenAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$220K - $292KLead and abovePythonC++MATLAB
- Senior Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Ramjet Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$167K - $222KSeniorPythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Staff Flight Test Engineer, Unmanned Air VehiclesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Victorville, California, United States · +1 more location$166K - $220KLead and aboveGoPythonJavaScript
- UAS / Drone Integration LeadNeros Technologies · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$112K - $158KLead and above
- UAS / Drone Integration SpecialistNeros Technologies · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$98K - $136K
- Senior Development Test Engineer - DronesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$146K - $194KSeniorPythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Production Associate, DronesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Santa Ana, California, United States—Computer VisionDriver's licenseERP
- C++ Embedded Software Engineer - Drone StackApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$135K - $200KC++DockerLinux
- Mass Properties Engineer, Air VehiclesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$132K - $175KComputer VisionSecurity clearanceSensor fusion
- Staff Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Air Breathing Engine Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$220K - $292KLead and abovePythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Staff Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Solid Rocket Motor Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$220K - $292KLead and abovePythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Senior Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Air Breathing Engine Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$167K - $222KSeniorPythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Senior Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Solid Rocket Motor Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$167K - $222KSeniorPythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Principal Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Air Breathing Engine Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$260K - $345KLead and abovePythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Principal Propulsion Engineer, Air Vehicles (Solid Rocket Motor Integration)Anduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$260K - $345KLead and abovePythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Senior Fuel Systems Engineer, Air VehiclesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$167K - $222KSeniorComputer VisionSecurity clearanceSensor fusion
- Fuel Systems Engineer, Air VehiclesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$117K - $196KComputer VisionSecurity clearanceSensor fusion
- Air Vehicle Lead, Air Maneuver DominanceAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$191K - $254KLead and aboveJiraAgileComputer Vision
- Thermal Engineer, Hypersonic Air VehiclesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$132K - $175KPythonMATLABComputer Vision
- Manufacturing Test Engineer, DronesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$132K - $175KPythonLinuxMATLAB
- Senior Product Quality Engineer, Small DronesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Santa Ana, California, United States$147K - $196KSeniorTableauJiraMATLAB
- Air Vehicle Lead, MissilesAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$175K - $205KLead and aboveComputer VisionSecurity clearanceTest planning
- Drone Support SpecialistNeros Technologies · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$68K - $94KZendesk
- Flight Test Engineer, RotorcraftAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$117K - $154KComputer VisionSecurity clearanceTest planning
- Senior Flight Test Engineer, RotorcraftAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$147K - $196KSeniorComputer VisionSecurity clearanceTest planning
Showing the newest 50. See all 89 in search
Who is hiring for drone engineer and operator roles in California
Where drone engineer and operator roles in California are
A role that lists several places is counted in each of them.
What drone engineer and operator roles in California pay, by level
| Level in the title | Median advertised salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| No level in the title | $154K | 32 |
| Senior | $193K | 24 |
| Lead and above | $222K | 21 |
Medians of the midpoints of advertised yearly US-dollar ranges; a level needs at least 15 such roles. Advertised, not verified pay.
Questions about drone engineer and operator jobs in California
- How many drone engineer and operator jobs in California are open right now?
- There are 89 open drone engineer and operator jobs in California at 8 companies on Jobs Every Hour as of Nov 15, 2026. 4 of them were posted in the last seven days. The list is rebuilt every hour from the employers' own careers pages.
- Which companies have the most drone engineer and operator jobs in California?
- Right now the most openings are at Anduril Industries (66), Applied (9), DoorDash USA (5), Shield AI (3) and Neros Technologies (3). The ranking changes as companies open and close roles.
- Are there remote drone engineer and operator jobs in California?
- None of the 89 open drone engineer and operator jobs in California are listed as remote at the moment. Remote roles appear here as soon as employers post them.
- What do drone engineer and operator jobs in California pay?
- The median advertised salary is $172K, based on 77 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range. The middle half of those roles advertise between $154K and $213K. These are advertised ranges, not verified pay. Most employers here are technology companies, so the figures run above the wider market for the same work.
- Is it hard to get one of the drone engineer and operator jobs in California?
- 1 of the 89 open drone engineer and operator jobs in California (1%) are for beginners: junior roles and internships. Of the 70 postings that state experience, the median asks for 5 years. 8 companies are hiring and 4 roles were posted in the last seven days. Matching your resume to the skills each posting names helps most; the free resume builder shows the match.
- How is AI changing drone engineer and operator jobs in California?
- 66 of the 89 open drone engineer and operator jobs in California (74%) ask for AI or machine-learning skills, most often Computer Vision. Employers still list 89 such roles today at 8 companies. Counted from the postings' own text on Nov 15, 2026.
- What skills do drone engineer and operator jobs in California ask for?
- Most often Computer Vision (74%), Sensor fusion (74%), Security clearance (71%), Siemens NX (35%), Python (33%) of the 89 open postings, counted from their own text on Nov 15, 2026.
- Which job titles come up most in drone engineer and operator jobs in California?
- Senior Mechanical Engineer (3), UAS Operations Specialist (3), Senior Propulsion Engineer (3), Mechanical Engineer (3), Senior Flight Test Engineer (2): the most common titles among the 89 open roles, without the level and place notes in brackets.
- Are drone engineer and operator jobs in California in demand in 2026?
- 89 drone engineer and operator jobs in California are open on Jobs Every Hour today at 8 companies, 0.1% of all 148,162 open jobs here; 4 were posted in the last seven days. The median advertised salary is $172K. 0 (0%) can be done remotely.
- How do I apply for drone engineer and operator jobs in California?
- Open a job and press “Apply on company site”. You go straight to the employer's own careers page and apply there. Jobs Every Hour needs no account and charges nothing for applying.
