Full-Time

UAS Flight Test Technician

Seneca

Seneca

11-50 employees

AI-powered autonomous firefighting drones

Compensation Overview

$80k - $130k/yr

+ Equity Compensation

Sausalito, CA, USA

In Person

Travel to regional test sites is required, including early mornings and weekends.

Category
Manufacturing & Production Operations (1)
Required Skills
First Aid

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Requirements
  • Strong mechanical aptitude with power tools, hand tools, fasteners, and mechanical inspection, including understanding how physical systems fail and how to prevent failures.
  • Hands-on experience in technician work, fabrication, field operations, maintenance, or repair environments.
  • Rigor around safety, checklists, logs, and procedures.
  • Technical literacy with two-way radios, cameras, and web-based software.
  • Ability to lift 50 pounds, work outdoors in variable conditions, and travel to regional test sites, including early mornings and weekends.
Responsibilities
  • Run pre-flight and post-flight checks, assemble vehicles into required test configurations, identify mechanical and electrical issues, and perform repairs or retrofits.
  • Track the health and usage of batteries, charge and organize equipment, and support basic repairs.
  • Maintain observation during flights, monitor weather, enforce operating limits, and call aborts when needed.
  • Operate cameras and instrumentation, upload footage and logs daily, and complete post-flight test reporting.
  • Conduct controlled fire-ignition tests, operate fire extinguishers, and follow fire-safety protocols.
  • Maintain a clean, organized, and hazard-free test site, manage consumables, identify facility needs, and manage test-site vendor relationships as needed.
Desired Qualifications
  • Perform electrical continuity checks, connector work, crimping, and soldering.
  • Hold first-aid certifications.
  • Have fire-safety training.

Seneca builds autonomous aerial systems for wildfire resilience, led by an autonomous fire suppression drone system that can be launched remotely and respond to approximate fire locations within ten minutes. The drones are AI-powered, identify fire origins, navigate difficult terrain, and deliver over 100 pounds of high-pressure suppressant, with a single pilot able to control multiple drones using infrared and video for targeting. In addition to initial attack, the technology supports prescribed burns by helping manage perimeters and suppress embers. The company differentiates itself through large-scale funding and partnerships with U.S. fire agencies, enabling rapid fleet readiness, quick deployment, and a focus on rapid response and perimeter management, with a goal to shorten response times, improve firefighter safety, and prevent small sparks from becoming large disasters ahead of the 2026 fire season.

Company Size

11-50

Company Stage

Early VC

Total Funding

$60M

Headquarters

Sausalito, California

Founded

2024

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Seneca raised $60 million in October 2025, funding production and 2026 field rollouts.
  • Aspen’s multimillion-dollar contract creates a credible reference customer for Western fire agencies.
  • CAL FIRE’s July 2026 test and summer deployment plans show real agency adoption momentum.

What critics are saying

  • Aspen’s pilot depends on private donors, exposing Seneca’s first deployment to funding delays.
  • Dryad Networks reached XPRIZE Wildfire finals in 2026, intensifying competition for municipal contracts.
  • If August 2026 field results disappoint, Seneca’s commercialization thesis collapses before broader 2027 sales.

What makes Seneca unique

  • Seneca claims autonomous fire suppression drones launch anywhere and reach fires in under ten minutes.
  • Aspen Fire Protection District signed a five-year Seneca Strike Team contract in February 2026.
  • CAL FIRE tested five Seneca drones on July 15, 2026, validating live suppression workflows.

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Benefits

Health Insurance

Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Account

Unlimited Paid Time Off

Company Equity

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-4%

1 year growth

-4%

2 year growth

-4%
Ars Technica
Mar 17th, 2026
Aspen becomes first US fire agency to deploy autonomous fire-suppression drones

Seneca, a Bay Area startup, has signed its first customer for wildfire-fighting drones with Colorado's Aspen Fire Protection District. The fleet of five drones will deploy this summer, making Aspen the first US wildfire agency to adopt this technology. Each drone carries enough water to create over 50 gallons of foam suppressant and can operate within a three-to-five-mile range, designed to reach and extinguish small fires before ground crews arrive. The drones complement AI cameras that detect fires but can't guarantee rapid human response, particularly for remote blazes. Founded in 2024, Seneca is amongst several firetech companies addressing increasingly destructive wildfires. Aspen Fire Chief Jake Andersen views the drones as an early suppression resource that could eventually operate from permanent bases around the region.

World News Network
Oct 25th, 2025
Seneca's Drones Enhance Firefighting Response

A US startup, Seneca, has secured funding to expand the production of its autonomous firefighting drone technology. Based in Seattle, Seneca is developing the first fully autonomous fire suppression system. The drones can deliver fire-suppressing agents at high pressure and utilize AI to address the increasing number of wildfire incidents.

PR Newswire
Oct 20th, 2025
Seneca Launches with $60 Million to Equip Firefighters, Utilities, and Communities with Advanced Wildfire Defense Technology

/PRNewswire/ -- Seneca, the resilience technology and infrastructure company, today announced its public launch and a $60 million financing round. The round,...