Full-Time
Cloud Product Operations Manager
Posted on 9/23/2025
Skydio
501-1,000 employees
Develops autonomous drones for data capture
Compensation Overview
$125k - $160k/yr
No H1B Sponsorship
San Mateo, CA, USA
Hybrid
Hybrid role requiring 4 days on-site per week, 1 day flexible.
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- 1+ years of proven success in a similar role, driving successful operational programs within R&D at a high-growth company
- Technical degree or background
- Experience with product development (experience as a Software Engineer a major plus)
- Detail-oriented with exceptional written and oral communication skills
- Highly motivated and highly curious, with an eagerness to learn and grow
- Familiarity with business systems and tools (e.g., JIRA, Slack, Confluence, Salesforce)
- Own the rollout of major feature releases and new product launches
- Work closely with technical leadership to shape the strategy and execution of releases for Skydio’s cloud product lines
- Maintain and improve the feedback loop for new product features, helping to provide prioritization within the product roadmap
- Collaborate with key team members (engineering, product, marketing, policy, support, design) to ensure pre and post launch success
- Work closely with product managers to develop metrics and dashboards to track product success
- Drone/UAV experience and/or a passion for drones
- Experience launching hardware products
Skydio designs and manufactures autonomous drones, such as the Skydio X10, for defense and industrial inspection. These drones use onboard AI and high-resolution thermal cameras to fly themselves through complex or indoor environments while capturing data without the need for constant manual piloting. Unlike competitors that rely heavily on human operators, Skydio focuses on full autonomy and provides a browser-based "Remote Flight Deck" alongside regulatory support for advanced flight permissions. The company's goal is to automate high-quality data collection in difficult spaces to make inspections safer and more efficient for organizations.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Series F
Total Funding
$851M
Headquarters
San Mateo, California
Founded
2014
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Skydio raised $110M Series F at $4.4B valuation, funding $3.5B US manufacturing expansion.
- US Army awarded $52M for 3,000 X10D drones in March 2025, plus $12.3M SRR FY25 contracts.
- Skydio shipped 60,000 drones to 1,200 public safety agencies and all US military branches.
What critics are saying
- Hayward facility single-site failure halts all military deliveries within weeks.
- Teledyne FLIR Boson+ supply disruption degrades X10D thermal performance immediately.
- DoD budget cuts end $12.3M SRR contracts by FY26, eliminating defense revenue.
What makes Skydio unique
- Skydio X10D integrates first Teledyne FLIR Boson+ thermal sensor in small UAS.
- X10D offers 360-degree obstacle avoidance and GPS-denied navigation via onboard AI.
- Skydio drones achieve Blue UAS Cleared status for US military cybersecurity compliance.
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Benefits
Child Care & Parental Leave - Family Medical Leave, Flexible Work Schedule, Generous Parental Leave
Health & Wellness Benefits - Dental Benefits, Disability Insurance, Flexible Spending Account (FSA), Health Insurance Benefits, Life Insurance, Onsite Gym, Vision Benefits, Wellness Programs, Mental Health Benefits
Home Office Stipend for Remote Employees
401(K)
Generous PTO, Paid Holidays, Paid Sick Days
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -1%1 year growth
↑ 0%2 year growth
↑ 0%Skydio establishes R&D office in Zürich, welcoming back alumni to their training grounds. Skydio opens research and development office in Zürich. Skydio has established a new research and development office in Zürich, Switzerland, marking its second European R&D location and the first dedicated to flight autonomy. The office will focus on developing autonomous multi-drone systems, GPS-denied navigation, and real-time edge computing. The announcement was made this week, highlighting Zürich's strong robotics talent pool, particularly from ETH Zürich and the University of Zürich. The newly formed entity, Skydio Switzerland GmbH, was incorporated in December 2025 at Kanzleistrasse 18, 8004 Zürich, in accordance with Swiss law, which is a requirement for local hiring. This indicates that the office had been operational for several months prior to the public announcement. Leadership and technical focus. The Zürich office will be led by Davide Falanga, Skydio's Director of Engineering for Autonomy Systems. Falanga completed his PhD at the University of Zürich's Robotics and Perception Group under Professor Davide Scaramuzza before joining Skydio in March 2022. He has spent over four years at Skydio's headquarters in San Mateo, California, working on the company's autonomous flight stack. Falanga expressed enthusiasm about building a team in Zürich to advance drone capabilities in real-world applications. Apr 7, 2026 Key areas of development. Engineers in the Zürich office will concentrate on: * Multi-vehicle coordination * GPS-denied navigation * Real-time decision-making at the edge These areas represent significant challenges in achieving fully autonomous drone operations and are essential for enabling one-pilot, multiple-drone operations, which have recently received approval from the FAA for several public safety agencies. Academic collaboration and local expertise. Apr 6, 2026 The work being done in Zürich aligns closely with the research conducted by Falanga and his colleagues at the University of Zürich, focusing on agile, vision-based quadrotor flight. Scaramuzza welcomed Skydio's establishment in Zürich, noting that it fosters collaboration between real-world autonomy challenges and academic research. Roland Siegwart, a Professor of Robotics at ETH Zürich, also expressed support for Skydio's presence, emphasizing Zürich's status as a leading robotics hub. Strategic expansion and future prospects. Skydio's strategy for international expansion involves situating offices near top-tier research institutions rather than in lower-cost labor markets. The company's headquarters in the Bay Area is close to Stanford and UC Berkeley, while its Boston office is near MIT. The Tampere, Finland office, which opened in June 2025, focuses on camera hardware and imaging technology, targeting Finland's specialized sensor expertise. The Zürich office will serve a distinct purpose in advancing autonomy and flight control. The timing of the Zürich office's opening coincides with Skydio's recent $52 million order from the U.S. Army for nearly 3,000 X10D drones, which represents the largest single-vendor small UAS procurement in Army history. The X10D's competitive edge lies in its GPS-denied navigation capabilities, which are directly related to the research being conducted in Zürich. Conclusion. Davide Falanga's leadership in Zürich is significant, as he is one of four PhD graduates recruited from Scaramuzza's lab in 2022. This move reflects Skydio's commitment to integrating academic research with commercial applications, a rare approach in the industry. The legal incorporation of Skydio Switzerland GmbH in December 2025 suggests that the company was already in the process of staffing the office before making the announcement. With ongoing developments in multi-vehicle coordination, Skydio aims to enhance its defense products by the end of 2027. The alignment of FAA regulations and the Army's expanding X10D fleet creates a strong demand for the capabilities being developed in Zürich, positioning Skydio to meet the needs of military buyers seeking advanced drone technology.
Cohort secures contract wins worth £17.9m. Cohort has announced that its subsidiary, Marlborough Communications Ltd (MCL), has won contracts totalling £17.9m. The larger award, valued at £14.0m, comes from a UK government customer and covers the immediate delivery of uncrewed air systems along with two years of in-service support. MCL will collaborate with its long-standing partner Skydio to supply these systems. Additionally, MCL has received a separate order worth £3.9m. This contract involves the supply of tactical audio systems for a UK customer. The dual contract wins underscore MCL's strengthening position in defence technology solutions and its ability to deliver advanced systems to government clients. "These valuable orders demonstrate the strength of MCL's relationships with its UK customers. Its highly skilled and knowledgeable team has a proven track record of combining the latest innovations in technology with expert engineering to meet urgent defence needs," said Andrew Thomis, Cohort Chief Executive. "These latest contracts, combined with other recent orders across the Group, further enhance our order book and the visibility of future revenues. Sufficient orders have now been secured to underpin fully the Group's 2025/26 financial year consensus forecast revenue." Cohort shares were around 1% higher at the time of writing. The fresh contract wins follow Cohort's interim report released earlier in January, which highlights continued revenue growth for the group. Cohort's revenue hit £128.8m in the 6 months to October 2025, up from £118m in the same period a year prior.
U.S. Air Force awards Skydio contracts to expand advanced autonomy across mission-critical units. New awards follow a surge in UAS procurement across the U.S. military. The U.S. Air Force has awarded Skydio two initial multi-million dollar contracts to expand the use of advanced autonomous drones across key operational units. According to the company, "Skydio, the leading U.S.-based drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight technology, in partnership with ADS... today announced two initial multi-million dollar contract awards with the U.S. Air Force (USAF) to expand the deployment of Skydio systems across multiple operational units." These awards come during a period of fast-paced UAS procurement across the U.S. Armed Forces. The U.S. Army recently announced plans to acquire one million drones as part of a major modernization push, while other services have accelerated programs related to reconnaissance, base security, and tactical autonomy. The new Skydio contracts reflect this broader shift toward rapid adoption of uncrewed systems designed, built, and supported within the United States. Supporting tactical and EOD missions. The Air Force will deploy Skydio systems to help Tactical Air Control Party (TACP) Airmen assess enemy positions, improve situational awareness, support communications, and integrate with strategic platforms. These capabilities will help TACP teams "characteriz[e] enemy order of battle" and operate more effectively in complex environments. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units will also increase their use of Skydio drones. The announcement states that "Skydio has also been selected as the aerial robot of choice for USAF EOD units deploying Skydio systems for both garrison operations and contingency deployments with additional systems planned over the next 18 months." These deployments support the Air Force's wider effort to integrate uncrewed systems into daily mission sets. Security Forces already rely on Skydio drones for base defense and installation security, and units at Travis Air Force Base have used Skydio technology to reduce C-17 inspection times by more than 90 percent. X10D: autonomous performance for demanding conditions. The Skydio X10D provides a combination of advanced sensors, secure architecture, and resilient autonomy built for contested environments. It includes a 48MP telephoto camera, a Teledyne FLIR Boson+ thermal sensor, all-direction obstacle avoidance, visual navigation up to 300 meters, and a proprietary zero-GPS navigation model. The aircraft is modular, weather-rated, and Blue UAS Cleared, with onboard AI that supports missions in areas with RF or GPS interference. Expanding military and allied partnerships. These Air Force awards add to Skydio's growing role across the U.S. military. The company supports the U.S. Army's Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2 program and provides systems to "special operations to conventional forces," reflecting broad operational trust. Skydio also supports 25 allied nations and thousands of public safety and enterprise customers worldwide. The drones are built at Skydio's Hayward, California manufacturing facility, which the company describes as "one of the world's largest drone manufacturing facilities outside of China." ADS, Skydio's partner on these programs, supplies vetted equipment solutions to defense and federal agencies through more than 80 procurement channels. As each service branch accelerates its adoption of uncrewed systems, contracts like these signal how autonomy, secure supply chains, and American-made platforms are shaping the next stage of military modernization.
US drone manufacturer Skydio has announced a partnership with US defence company Pearson Engineering to incorporate 'threat-sense' artificial intelligence mine detection technology into the company's drones.
U.S. Army awards $7.9M contract to Skydio for Short Range Reconnaissance Tranche 2. News provided by. Latest contract extends multi-year SRR partnership, bringing Skydio's FY25 program support to $12.3M as Army advances tactical ISR capabilities SAN MATEO, Calif., Oct. 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ - Skydio, the leading U.S.-based drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight technology, in partnership with Science Applications International Corp. (NASDAQ: SAIC), has been awarded $7.9 million to deliver X10D small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) under the U.S. Army's Short Range Reconnaissance (SRR) Tranche 2 Low-Rate Initial Production contract. The SRR program, managed by Program Executive Office Aviation's Project Manager for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (PM UAS), provides infantry platoons with organic reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities. This award continues Skydio's role as an SRR provider, transitioning soldiers from X2D/RQ28-A, fielded beginning in 2022 as part of SRR Tranche 1, to the enhanced X10D platform. This award builds on Skydio's first delivery SRR Tranche 2 program systems, announced in May 2025. This brings Skydio's total support of the SRR Tranche 2 program to $12.3M in FY25. Skydio X10D delivers operational performance for tactical ISR missions: * A sensor package that is unrivaled in any sUAS this size, including a 48MP telephoto camera * A best-in-class Teledyne FLIR Boson+ thermal sensor that can pinpoint temperature differences at each pixel * Resiliency in the face of electronic warfare with onboard AI and autonomy * Built-in AI for visual navigation comes standard * Advanced obstacle avoidance in every direction * Enhanced operational resilience in challenging navigation environments through advanced proprietary technology that maintains positional awareness without relying on conventional navigation methods * Modular, open platform that supports custom third-party attachments and controllers * Powerful, full-stack security, starting with the chipset and its firmware * IP55 rating for nearly all-weather operation X10D, part of the U.S. Department of War's Blue UAS Cleared List, also meets the stringent cybersecurity and capability requirements outlined by the Defense Innovation Unit. Skydio now supports every branch of the U.S. military, 25 allied nations, alongside public safety agencies, utilities, and enterprise customers worldwide. All Skydio drones are designed, assembled, and supported in the United States, and Skydio's manufacturing facility in Hayward, CA is one of the world's largest drone manufacturing facilities outside of China. For more information about Skydio for national security, please visit skydio.com/natsec. About Skydio Skydio is the leading U.S.-based drone manufacturer and world leader in autonomous flight, leveraging breakthrough AI to create the world's most intelligent flying machines for use by public safety, government, utility, and enterprise customers. Skydio designs, assembles, and supports its products in the U.S. from its headquarters in San Mateo, California. Founded in 2014, Skydio is trusted by industry leaders and backed by top investors and strategic partners, including Andreessen Horowitz, Levitate Capital, Next47, IVP, Playground, and NVIDIA. For more information, follow Skydio on LinkedIn or visit skydio.com. About SAIC SAIC(R) is a premier Fortune 500 mission integrator focused on advancing the power of technology and innovation to serve and protect our world. Our robust portfolio of offerings across the defense, space, civilian and intelligence customers includes secure high-end solutions in mission IT, enterprise IT, engineering services and professional services. We integrate emerging technology, rapidly and securely, into mission critical operations that modernize and enable critical national imperatives. We are approximately 24,000 strong; driven by mission, united by purpose, and inspired by opportunities. Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, SAIC has annual revenues of approximately $7.5 billion. For more information, visit saic.com. For ongoing news, please visit our newsroom. SOURCE Skydio