Hardware In Loop (HIL) Software Engineer Intern
Skydio
This job at a glance
- Who can apply
- New grads and up to 1 year
- Must know
- PythonEmbedded systemsCI/CDREST APIsProduct managementStatistics
- Work
- On-site in San Mateo · internship
- Pay
- Not stated by the employer.
- Skill demand
- Python57%REST APIs43%CI/CD32%Embedded systems13%of 149 similar entry-level jobs posted in the US this week
- Listed
- Nov 10, 2026 · still open
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About the Role
We are looking for interns for the Winter 2027 Season. You will contribute to the development and optimization of Skydio's embedded hardware in the loop (HIL) system, including the Python test framework, its CI integration, the fleet of physical test stations, and the devices on them. You'll help guide its technical direction, keep it reliable as the number of products and tests grows, and make it easy for other teams to add tests.
An ideal intern candidate is a junior, senior, or MS-level college student with industry experience developing test infrastructure with familiarity of device-level embedded software or firmware.
About the Team
The Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) team is responsible for the development and maintenance of HIL infrastructure. This ranges from cloud infrastructure for continuous integration (CI) validation, internal tooling for developer use, as well as development with the physical hardware products Skydio builds – from drones and docks to radios and accessories. We work closely with both the hardware team and the rest of the software organization, creating the foundation for the rest of the Skydio software teams to build upon. We work closely with both the hardware team and the rest of the software organization, to bridge the gap between software development and hardware validation.
How You'll Make an Impact
- 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 their validation needs into reliable automated tests.
- Develop new critical use cases to expand hardware validation and development to more broad teams.
- Triage failing runs, separate infrastructure problems from product regressions, and route real bugs to the right team.
Requirements & Tech Stack
- Strong Python, with clean, well-tested code and sensible abstraction boundaries.
- Software engineering experience, including building or owning test or CI infrastructure.
- Solid Linux systems skills: networking, USB/udev, systemd, Docker, shell.
- Hands-on embedded Linux experience: flashing, bootloaders and recovery modes, serial consoles, debugging boards that don't boot.
- Clear communicator who can support many engineering teams.
- Experience / interest in hardware bring-up and system debugging.
Qualifications
- Junior, senior, or MS-level college student.
- Industry experience developing test infrastructure.
- 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.