Flight Test Engineer
Scout AI
Flight Test Engineer
Scout AI
Develops autonomous warfare AI foundation model
The future of defense will be decided by those who field intelligent machines at scale. At Scout AI, we’re developing Fury, the first robotic foundation model for defense, to give U.S. forces overwhelming, adaptable, and autonomous power across every domain. Fury enables human operators to command fleets of robots through natural language, and empowers those machines to sense, decide, and act together as one. This mission will ask everything of us: urgency, precision, and relentless work.
The Role
We’re hiring a Flight Test Engineer to join our Mission Operations team. This role focuses on the development, testing, and operationalization of Scout’s autonomous aerial systems. You will play a critical role in accelerating product development through disciplined flight testing, structured evaluation, and close collaboration with engineering.
You will be responsible for designing and executing structured flight test plans, operating unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in real-world environments, collecting and analyzing flight and system data, and generating clear reports that drive engineering decisions. You will also support customer demonstrations and ensure systems are prepared for both internal testing and external deployment.
You will spend most of your time in the field at test ranges and flight environments. This role requires adaptability, strong technical aptitude, and the ability to move seamlessly between flight operations, troubleshooting systems, configuring payloads, and providing structured feedback to engineers. Your work directly drives flight safety, autonomy performance, and mission readiness.
Responsibilities
Design and execute structured flight tests to evaluate autonomy performance, flight stability, navigation, and mission behaviors
Operate unmanned aerial systems (UAS) safely in real-world environments, including pre-flight, in-flight monitoring, and post-flight procedures
Conduct pre-flight inspections, system checks, and airworthiness assessments to ensure safe operation
Collect, document, and organize high-quality flight and system data; identify failures, edge cases, and performance gaps
Analyze flight test results and generate clear, concise reports with findings and actionable recommendations
Troubleshoot and resolve hardware, software, and system-level issues in field environments
Support integration and validation of payloads, sensors (EO/IR, GPS, IMU), and autonomy software
Collaborate closely with engineering teams to translate flight test observations into prioritized product improvements
Support customer demonstrations and flight evaluations, ensuring systems are safe, reliable, and professionally executed
Contribute to the development of repeatable flight test procedures, safety protocols, and validation frameworks
Prepare and manage deployment logistics including aircraft setup, ground control systems, batteries, spares, and field site staging
Qualifications
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, or related field) or equivalent hands-on experience
3+ years of experience operating, maintaining, or testing unmanned aerial systems (UAS), drones, or similar platforms
Strong understanding of flight operations, safety procedures, and pre/post-flight workflows
Strong troubleshooting skills across mechanical, electrical, and software systems
Experience executing structured test plans, collecting flight data, and documenting results clearly
Comfortable working in dynamic outdoor environments with frequent travel (25–50%)
Strong communication skills and ability to collaborate closely with engineering and cross-functional teams
High ownership mentality, attention to detail, and commitment to safety and disciplined execution
Must be a U.S. Person due to required access to U.S. export controlled information or facilities
Passion about defense of the United States and its allies
May be expected to obtain and hold a U.S. Top Secret security clearance
Why Join Scout
Work on the world’s most important frontier, ensuring U.S. and allied dominance in the age of intelligent machines
Be a core part of a team building the first defense-specific robotic foundation model
Collaborate with some of the top engineers in autonomy, AI, and national security
See your work deployed on real systems
Help define the future of intelligent defense systems
Backed by Draper Associates, Booz Allen Ventures, and other top investors
Benefits
Competitive cash compensation
Meaningful equity
Premium medical, dental, and vision plans with $0 paycheck contribution
Competitive PTO and company holiday calendar
Catered lunch daily and fully stocked kitchen
EV charging
Relocation assistance (depending on role eligibility)
Scout AI is a frontier AI lab in Sunnyvale that builds military AI systems for unmanned warfare. Its main product is Fury, a Vision-Language-Action foundation model that converts a commander's intent into coordinated actions by autonomous robots across air, land, sea, and space at the tactical edge. The system relies on AI reasoning to plan and orchestrate how different robots work together, rather than making hardware. It uses an accompanying C2-based orchestrator called Ox to manage and coordinate autonomous agents during missions. Scout AI has demonstrated end-to-end autonomous strike missions and has secured government contracts, seed funding, and a large Series A round to grow its foundational military AI and multi-agent collaboration. The company positions itself apart from competitors by focusing on the AI reasoning layer and cross-domain agent coordination rather than manufacturing hardware, aiming to scale reliable, multi-robot collaboration in defense scenarios.
Explore more opportunities at Scout AI