Skydio
Head of Manufacturing Engineering Automation & Controls
Hayward, California, United States · Senior · Full-time
Sponsorship not specified$196k-$257kDetected 18 days ago
Supply ChainRoboticsPLCMechanical DesignElectrical EngineeringControlsPharmacy PracticeLeadershipCommunicationProblem SolvingSCADA
Stay score
odds of building a lasting career here
57Sponsors, lottery-bound
Cap-exempt (no lottery)0
Sponsors this role75
Entry-level history0
PERM / green-card track0
Lottery odds (Level IV)94
Fits your clock70
Sponsors, but it's cap-subject — you still face the weighted lottery (~61% per draw at Level IV). Good if you win; have a cap-exempt backup on your list.
Lottery odds assume a STEM candidate.
Personalize to your clock →H-1B wage level
the lottery is wage-weighted — each level is one more entry
Level I$96,0961 entry
Level II$117,6242 entries
Level III$139,1313 entries
Level IV$160,6594 entries
This range already reaches Level IV — the maximum four lottery entries.
DOL prevailing wage, 2026-27 wage year · Industrial Engineers (17-2112) · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA. Wage level is derived by USCIS from the offered wage, occupation and worksite; the occupation shown is inferred from the job title.
Employer immigration record
from this employer's Department of Labor filings
Files H-1B transfers
12 transfer filings in the last year, covering 12 workers. Median labor-condition decision: 7 days. An employer that already files transfers is one that can take over an existing H-1B.
Sourced from Department of Labor LCA, PERM and prevailing-wage disclosure data. Employer matching is by name, so figures may be split across an employer's legal entities. Absence of a filing means none appears in our copy of the data, not that none exists.
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About the role
- A major focus of this role will be factory automation, controls engineering, equipment development, and manufacturing systems architecture.
- This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who can establish the long-term manufacturing strategy while also driving execution on the factory floor.
- Establish controls and automation standards that enable equipment to be deployed, supported, replicated, and scaled rapidly across production.
Responsibilities
- Build, lead, and develop a high-performing Manufacturing Engineering organization supporting production from new product introduction through high-volume manufacturing.
- Partner closely with Design Engineering, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Test Engineering, and Product teams to ensure products are designed for manufacturability, automation, testability, and scale.
- Establish manufacturing standards, design reviews, equipment specifications, process qualification methodologies, and production-readiness criteria.
- Lead the architecture, development, deployment, and lifecycle management of automated manufacturing equipment and production systems.
- Develop strategies for balancing manual, semi-automated, and fully automated manufacturing based on production rate, process capability, economics, and product maturity.
- Establish disciplined equipment development processes including requirements definition, design reviews, FAT/SAT, commissioning, process validation, and production acceptance.
- Partner with external automation integrators and equipment suppliers while developing critical automation and controls capabilities internally.
- Build a highly instrumented manufacturing environment where equipment and processes generate actionable production data.
- Partner with software and data teams to connect manufacturing equipment with MES, traceability, quality, and factory data systems.
- Develop automated collection and analysis of process parameters, equipment states, cycle times, downtime, quality results, and genealogy.
Requirements
- Define the manufacturing engineering strategy, technical roadmap, organizational structure, and capabilities required to support significant production growth.
- 12+ years of experience in manufacturing engineering, automation engineering, controls engineering, equipment engineering, or related disciplines.
- 5+ years of experience leading engineering organizations responsible for manufacturing systems or factory automation.
Nice to have
- Experience scaling aerospace or similarly complex hardware from low-rate initial production to hundreds or thousands of units per month.
- Experience designing manufacturing systems for products combining mechanical assemblies, electronics, motors, sensors, batteries, composites, or other complex electromechanical technologies.
- Familiarity with aerospace manufacturing and quality frameworks such as AS9100.
- Experience with MES, equipment connectivity, manufacturing data infrastructure, and Industry 4.0 architectures.
- Master's degree in an engineering discipline or equivalent technical experience.
- Obtaining FAA Part 107 certification within the first 60 days of employment is strongly encouraged for all Skydio employees and required for certain positions.
- Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience.
- Relocation assistance may also be provided for eligible roles.
Compensation
- At Skydio, our compensation packages for regular, full-time employees include competitive base salaries, equity in the form of stock options, and comprehensive benefits packages.
- Compensation will vary based on factors, including skill level, proficiencies, transferable knowledge, and experience.
- The annual base salary range for this position is $196,000-$257,000*.
- Regular, full-time employees are eligible to receive the following benefits: Paid vacation time, sick leave, holiday pay and 401K savings plan.
- Compensation for certain positions may vary based on the position's location.
Benefits
- Paid vacation time, sick leave, holiday pay and 401K savings plan.
- This position and all associated benefits are subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws, as well as the Company's policies and eligibility criteria.
- Fundamentally, we believe that equity is the key to long-term financial growth, and we ensure all regular, full-time employees have the opportunity to significantly benefit from the company's success.
- Regular, full-time employees are eligible to enroll in the Company's group health insurance plans.
Company info
- Skydio is the leading US drone company and the world leader in autonomous flight, the key technology for the future of drones and aerial mobility.
- The Skydio team combines deep expertise in artificial intelligence, best-in-class hardware and software product development, operational excellence, and customer obsession to empower a broader, more diverse audience of drone users, from utility inspectors https://www.skydio.com/solutions/energy-and-utilities to first responders https://www.skydio.com/solutions/public-safety, soldiers in battlefield scenarios https://www.skydio.com/solutions/national-security/tactical-isr, and beyond https://www.skydio.com/solutions.
- We are seeking a Head of Manufacturing Engineering to lead the development and scale-up of our manufacturing systems for high-volume small unmanned aircraft production.
- We are committed to growing our network of people, programs, and resources to nurture an inclusive culture.
This listing is sourced directly from Skydio's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.