Full-Time

Principal Technical Program Manager

Drone & Autonomy Software

BRINC Drones

BRINC Drones

201-500 employees

Public-safety drones and software for responders

Compensation Overview

$145k - $245k/yr

Seattle, WA, USA

In Person

Bachelor's

Category
Product (1)
Required Skills
Software Testing
DevOps

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Requirements
  • A bachelor's degree in Engineering, including Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Robotics, Aerospace, Systems, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • At least 7 years of technical program management experience delivering embedded or device software or autonomy or robotics software for hardware products.
  • A proven track record coordinating release trains and shipping updates to real-world deployed devices, including over-the-air updates and staged rollouts.
  • Strong technical fluency across embedded systems and autonomy, including firmware/software boundaries, hardware-software interfaces, perception, navigation, controls pipelines, performance constraints, logging, telemetry, and validation strategies.
  • The ability to align engineering, autonomy, quality assurance, hardware, and operations around a single release plan.
Responsibilities
  • Own end-to-end execution of device software and autonomy programs spanning embedded and firmware software, on-device services, perception, navigation, controls, mission logic, testing, and release engineering.
  • Drive the week-to-week release cadence for deployed devices, including planning, readiness, rollout coordination, and post-release follow-up for over-the-air updates.
  • Coordinate cross-team release scope and sequencing across device software and autonomy, including perception, simultaneous localization and mapping/visual-inertial odometry, guidance, and control subsystems, while ensuring clear dependencies, interfaces, and integration timelines.
  • Partner with hardware engineering and product teams to align device software deliverables with new hardware releases and engineering validation, design validation, and production validation milestones.
  • Lead release readiness reviews covering quality gates, test coverage, performance and regression expectations, rollback plans, and operational communications.
  • Coordinate with quality assurance, flight test, and field stakeholders to validate software and autonomy features across simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, and real-world flight conditions.
  • Establish and improve program management processes across device software and autonomy, including release planning, change control, simulation and validation workflows, incident learnings, and metrics.
  • Provide status reporting to engineering leadership, surface risks early, and drive tradeoffs across quality, schedule, and scope.
  • Drive planning and delivery of autonomy features and capabilities, including localization, mapping, path planning, obstacle avoidance, and intelligent mission behaviors.
  • Manage cross-cutting technical dependencies between autonomy subsystems and the device software platform, proactively identify integration risks, and resolve blockers.
  • Track and communicate program health across multiple parallel development threads while balancing new capability development, safety and reliability improvements, and integration into production releases.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience with complex hardware/software mission-critical systems.
  • Familiarity with embedded Linux, real-time operating systems, and common device update mechanisms.
  • Experience managing hardware/software co-development schedules across engineering validation, design validation, production validation, and production ramp.
  • A strong understanding of continuous integration and continuous delivery for embedded software and autonomy, including automated test infrastructure, simulation pipelines, and fleet health metrics.
  • Familiarity with autonomy or robotics concepts such as simultaneous localization and mapping/visual-inertial odometry, global navigation satellite system/inertial navigation system fusion, path planning, obstacle avoidance, or flight controls.
  • Experience managing programs involving simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, or field validation of autonomous systems.
  • An understanding of fault-tolerant or safety-critical system design, redundancy strategies, and unmanned aerial vehicle flight safety requirements.
  • Startup experience, including high ownership, comfort with ambiguity, and bias for action.

BRINC builds technologies for public safety, creating an ecosystem of drones, software, and services used by first responders. Its hardware includes drones such as the Lemur 2 and supporting tools like the Responder Station, designed to give on-scene information, real-time floor plans, and other situational data to police, search-and-rescue, and fire units. The system works by deploying drones that gather and share live data, enabling responders to assess a scene, coordinate actions, and de-escalate threats without immediately sending a physical unit. What sets BRINC apart is its focused portfolio for public-safety use, combining hardware, software, and training in one offering and prioritizing quick intelligence and safer response in critical incidents. The company’s goal is to help first responders save lives by improving situational awareness, speed, and safety during emergencies.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Series C

Total Funding

$287.3M

Headquarters

Seattle, Washington

Founded

2019

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Motorola led BRINC’s $125 million round on July 14, 2026.
  • BRINC says revenue tripled in 2025 and contracts nearly quadrupled in 2026.
  • New Seattle factory and LiveOps wildfire layers strengthen deployments and manufacturing throughput.

What critics are saying

  • FAA BVLOS approvals gate autonomous deployments, delaying revenue for months or years.
  • Skydio, Axon, and Anduril are spending aggressively across public-safety and defense.
  • Privacy backlash around persistent aerial surveillance can trigger city bans and contract pauses.

What makes BRINC Drones unique

  • Motorola Solutions integration gives BRINC exclusive access to 911 dispatch workflows.
  • BRINC builds U.S.-made public-safety drones, boosting adoption after FCC Chinese-drone restrictions.
  • Guardian’s Starlink connectivity and indoor tactical focus beat generic enterprise drone vendors.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

Maternity and paternity leave

Flexible Time Off (Exempt) / Paid time off (Non-Exempt)

Flexible work environment

Free parking (Seattle office)

Comprehensive medical, dental and vision plans for our employees and their families

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

3%

1 year growth

3%

2 year growth

1%
Government Fleet
Aug 10th, 2026
BRINC drones adds free wildfire and smoke tracking as agencies across america battle active fires.

BRINC drones adds free wildfire and smoke tracking as agencies across america battle active fires. New map layers give public safety agencies real-time fire detections and smoke conditions integrated directly into LiveOps at no additional cost. August 10, 2026 2 min to read BRINC has added two map layers to its LiveOps platform that provide live wildfire tracking and real-time smoke coverage. The layers became available Aug. 7 to all BRINC customers at no additional cost. They allow public safety agencies to view wildfire information alongside their existing drone operations. Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the layers display active fire detections and current smoke conditions. Agencies can view either layer independently or display both on the same map used to manage drone operations, live video, and incident response. The added information is intended to support fire departments and emergency managers as they assess wildfire conditions and coordinate their response. Law enforcement agencies can also use the layers to monitor conditions in communities where smoke and limited visibility may affect ground operations. "When agencies are stretched thin responding to wildfires, the last thing they need is another screen to check," said Blake Resnick, BRINC founder and CEO. "Our customers already run their drone operations in our software. Now fire activity and smoke conditions are right there on the same map." LiveOps combines drone video with dispatch information and data from outside sources. The wildfire and smoke layers expand the information agencies can view without moving between separate systems during an emergency. BRINC previously added Google Maps traffic data after customers requested the ability to monitor road conditions within LiveOps. That integration was designed to help agencies assess traffic conditions during operations, including vehicle pursuits.

DroneLife
Aug 10th, 2026
BRINC brings wildfire and smoke tracking into drone operations.

BRINC brings wildfire and smoke tracking into drone operations. New LiveOps layers integrate NOAA fire and smoke data to give public safety agencies a more complete operational picture. BRINC has added wildfire and smoke tracking to its LiveOps platform, giving public safety agencies another source of information during active fire response. The company announced two new map layers on August 10. The features display active fire detections and current smoke conditions alongside drone operations, live video, and other incident information. BRINC made the new layers available to all customers on August 7 at no additional cost. Bringing fire data into drone operations. The new features use data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Agencies can turn the fire and smoke layers on or off independently. The goal is to give responders a more complete operational picture without requiring them to switch between separate systems. Fire departments and emergency managers can use the information while assessing and coordinating wildfire response. Law enforcement agencies can also view smoke conditions when reduced visibility affects operations in impacted communities. "When agencies are stretched thin responding to wildfires, the last thing they need is another screen to check," said Blake Resnick, BRINC Founder and CEO. "Our customers already run their drone operations in our software. Now fire activity and smoke conditions are right there on the same map. And like every BRINC integration, it's free." Expanding the LiveOps platform. The addition reflects BRINC's broader effort to bring multiple sources of public safety information into LiveOps. The platform combines drone video, dispatch information, third-party data, and other operational information in a single interface. BRINC said customer feedback has also driven other additions to the platform. After agencies requested live traffic information, the company integrated Google Maps traffic data. That capability can help teams assess road conditions and manage vehicle pursuits. BRINC says LiveOps upgrades, improvements, and core integrations are included for customers at no additional cost. The Seattle-based company develops drones and related technology for public safety agencies. According to BRINC, more than 1,000 public safety agencies and over 20% of U.S. SWAT teams use its products. Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies. For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.

Tech Funding News
Jul 16th, 2026
Motorola and Index Ventures back BRINC with $125M to put a 911 drone on every US police and fire station roof.

Motorola and Index Ventures back BRINC with $125M to put a 911 drone on every US police and fire station roof. July 16, 2026 * BRINC has raised $125 million in a round led by Motorola Solutions, with participation from Index Ventures and Figma CEO Dylan Field, bringing its total funding to more than $280 million. * The Seattle startup wants to deploy 911 response drones across all 80,000 police and fire stations in the United States. * Revenue more than tripled in 2025, production capacity increased fivefold, and the company has already signed nearly four times as many public safety contracts this year. Seattle-based BRINC has raised $125 million in a funding round led by Motorola Solutions, with participation from Index Ventures and Figma founder Dylan Field, taking its total funding past $280 million. The company said the round values it at nearly double last year's $480 million mark The round's other backers include OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang, Palantir's chief technology officer Shyam Sankar, former LinkedIn chief executive Jeff Weiner, former acting US defense secretary Patrick Shanahan, and former FCC chairman Julius Genachowski. The capital backs one of public safety tech's boldest bets: putting a 911 response drone on the roof of every one of the roughly 80,000 police and fire stations across the United States. "Every second matters in an emergency. Our 911 response drones put eyes on scene before first responders arrive, giving everyone the situational awareness they need to act decisively and keep people safe," says Blake Resnick, BRINC's founder and chief executive. Washington opens a door for US-made drones. The timing is not incidental. In December 2025, the FCC blocked foreign-made drones from receiving US equipment authorisation, a move that effectively barred new models from Chinese giant DJI from the American market. DJI is challenging the ruling in court, and some non-Chinese models have won exemptions, but the shift has already pushed public safety agencies to look harder at domestically built alternatives - a category where BRINC, which builds all its hardware in the US, is positioned to win. As a former DJI intern, Resnick has said he wants BRINC to become the "DJI of the West." Motorola Solutions is backing that positioning too. It first invested in BRINC in April 2025 through a $75 million round that formed a strategic alliance between the two companies, and its dispatch and radio systems already let officers launch a BRINC drone with the push of a button or trigger one automatically when a 911 call comes in. This round deepens that bet, and BRINC's exclusive integration with Motorola's ecosystem remains one of its clearest competitive edges. From a Las Vegas shooting to 900 agencies. Resnick founded BRINC in 2017 after the Mandalay Bay mass shooting in his hometown of Las Vegas, where it took more than an hour for a SWAT unit to breach the shooter's door. That realisation led to the company's first product, the Lemur, an indoor tactical drone built to give first responders eyes inside a building before they enter it themselves. BRINC's current portfolio spans the Lemur 2 for indoor tactical operations, Responder for rapid incident response, and Guardian, a Starlink-connected, long-range aircraft the company says is built to replace police helicopters. More than 900 public safety agencies, including over 20% of US SWAT teams, now use its products, a base BRINC says has grown alongside a tripling of revenue in 2025 and a fivefold increase in monthly production capacity. The company has signed nearly four times as many 911 drone contracts this year as over the same period in 2025, including new deployments with the Los Angeles Fire Department and the St. Louis Police Department. These figures come from the company and have not been independently verified. BRINC will use the new capital to expand its domestic manufacturing footprint, bring new products to market, and grow its workforce, which has grown to 187 employees from 108 a year earlier, with 41 more roles open and headcount expected to top 250 once the new factory is running. Later this year, it plans to move into that factory, three times the size of its current A crowded, and increasingly valuable, drone market. BRINC is competing in a market growing fast enough to support several outsized deals at once. Skydio, now valued at $4.4 billion after a $110 million raise in April 2026, has built one of the largest US autonomous drone businesses spanning enterprise, defence and public safety. Shield AI, whose valuation more than doubled to $12.7 billion in a $2 billion round in March 2026, is focused on autonomous military aircraft. Anduril Industries, valued at $61 billion after a $5 billion round in May 2026, continues to expand across autonomous drones and surveillance systems. Unlike most of that field, BRINC has built its strategy specifically around integrating into 911 dispatch, rather than treating defence or industrial inspection as its core market, a similar wedge to the one European players like Auterion and Firestorm Labs have used to carve out defence niches of their own, and one echoed in Europe's own counter-drone push, where startups like D-Fend Solutions are chasing a similarly fast-growing public-safety opportunity. According to Grand View Research, the global drone services market is projected to grow from roughly $18.6 billion in 2025 to more than $57 billion by 2030. Whether BRINC can actually reach 80,000 stations is a manufacturing and sales-execution question as much as a technology one. But with Motorola's dispatch network as a distribution rail and a regulatory tailwind pushing agencies toward US-built hardware, BRINC has stacked more of the pieces in its favour than most rivals chasing the same emergency-response opportunity.

Diversified
Jul 15th, 2026
BRINC raises $125 million to expand 911 response drone manufacturing.

BRINC raises $125 million to expand 911 response drone manufacturing. BRINC announced this week that it has closed a $125 million financing round led by Motorola Solutions, with participation from Index Ventures and Figma CEO Dylan Field. The raise brings the public safety drone maker's total funding to "well over" a quarter billion dollars and is aimed at scaling deployment of its 911 response drones across the roughly 80,000 police and fire stations across the United States. The company said the new capital will go toward expanding domestic manufacturing, bringing new products to market and scaling go-to-market operations. BRINC plans to move into a new facility by the end of the year that is three times the size of its current factory, a step the company says is needed to keep up with demand from public safety agencies. "Every second matters in an emergency," said Blake Resnick, founder and CEO of BRINC, in a statement. "Our 911 response drones put eyes on scene before first responders arrive, giving everyone the situational awareness they need to act decisively and keep people safe." BRINC said the round follows a period of rapid commercial growth. The company more than tripled revenue in 2025 and increased monthly production capacity fivefold. So far this year, BRINC has signed nearly four times as many 911 response drone contracts as it did over the same period in 2025, with customers including the Los Angeles Fire Department and the St. Louis Police Department, among hundreds of other agencies. BRINC's product line spans indoor and outdoor missions. The company positions its Lemur 2 as "the most capable indoor drone," its Responder as the leader in time on scene, and its Guardian as a 911 response drone built to replace helicopter response. BRINC also has exclusive integrations with Motorola Solutions and says its products interoperate with other public safety technology platforms.

GovTech
Jul 14th, 2026
911 drone supplier BRINC raises $125M with Motorola help.

911 drone supplier BRINC raises $125M with Motorola help. Motorola Solutions and BRINC inked a strategic alliance in 2025. BRINC has since launched a first responder drone called Guardian and now plans a big factory expansion. The company reportedly tripled its revenue in 2025. July 14, 2026 - Public safety drone supplier BRINC has raised $125 million in a financing round led by Motorola Solutions. The capital will help fund BRINC's goal of deploying 911 response drones to the estimated 80,000 police and fire stations in the United States, according to a statement. Index Ventures and Dylan Field, the billionaire CEO of design and user experience company Figma, also took part in the round. BRINC's total capital exceeds a quarter-billion dollars, it says. The deal was anchored to the idea of combining drone technology with 911 command center operations. Then, in March, BRINC and Motorola Solutions announced the launch of a Starlink-connected drone called Guardian, whose "cutting-edge camera and advanced autonomy" and other features give it first response capabilities, according to a statement. Motorola Solutions stands as the exclusive North American reseller of Guardian and other drone tech from BRINC. The new capital will go toward U.S. manufacturing and product development. BRINC expects to move into a new facility by the end of the year, one that is three times the size of the company's existing factory, according to the statement - a reflection of growing demand for drones from public safety agencies. "Every second matters in an emergency," says Blake Resnick, founder and CEO of BRINC, in the statement. "Our 911 response drones put eyes on scene before first responders arrive, giving everyone the situational awareness they need to act decisively and keep people safe." In announcing the funding, BRINC said it tripled revenue in 2025, and this year has signed "nearly four times as many 911 response drone contracts as it did over the same period in 2025." Customers include the Los Angeles Fire Department, St. Louis Police Department and "hundreds of other" public safety agencies.