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Virtual Drone Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Jimmy Jazz

$110 - $160/hr

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related discipline * 8+ ... Govern Drone Deploy, Trimble laser scanners, and Field Link workflows * Ensure capture accuracy and ...

MWH

VDC Engineer - MWH

Phoenix, AZ

$75K - $115K/yr

... management, virtual construction workflows, and construction technology deployments. Provide ... Experience with reality capture tools and practices (laser scanning, drone data capture, and/or ...

MWH

VDC Engineer - MWH

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$75K - $115K/yr

... management, virtual construction workflows, and construction technology deployments. Provide ... Experience with reality capture tools and practices (laser scanning, drone data capture, and/or ...

Leonardo DRS

Systems Engineer - DevOps

Germantown, MD · On-site

$75K - $98K/yr

... drone applications, critical infrastructure protection, and border surveillance. - Business Unit ... Experience with virtual machines and containerized solutions, i.e. EXXi, Proxmox, Docker, etc.

Leonardo DRS

Systems Engineer - DevOps

Germantown, MD · On-site

$75K - $98K/yr

... drone applications, critical infrastructure protection, and border surveillance. - Business Unit ... Experience with virtual machines and containerized solutions, i.e. EXXi, Proxmox, Docker, etc.

MWH

VDC Engineer - MWH

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$75K - $115K/yr

... management, virtual construction workflows, and construction technology deployments. Provide ... Experience with reality capture tools and practices (laser scanning, drone data capture, and/or ...

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Virtual Drone Engineer information

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$10

$59

$87

How much do virtual drone engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for virtual drone engineer in the United States is $59.56, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $49.28 and $68.03 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Virtual Drone Engineer vs Drone Pilot?

AspectVirtual Drone EngineerDrone Pilot
CredentialsCertifications in drone software, programming, and remote operationFAA Part 107 certification or equivalent
Work EnvironmentRemote, office-based or from home, focusing on software and system designOn-site or remote flying drones in various outdoor or indoor locations
Industry UsageTechnology, software development, and remote drone system managementAerial photography, surveying, inspection, and delivery services

The Virtual Drone Engineer primarily focuses on designing, developing, and managing drone software systems remotely, often working in tech environments. In contrast, a Drone Pilot operates drones directly in the field, performing flights for various applications. Both roles require specific certifications and industry knowledge but differ mainly in their work setting and daily tasks.

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Virtual Drone Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Virtual Drone Engineer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 3% Part Time, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $123,889 per year, or $59.6 per hour.

Sr. Simulation & Model Training Engineer - Drone Autonomy (AI2531)

SiMa Technologies

San Jose, CA

$120K - $193K/yr

Full-time

Posted 21 days ago

Job description

Job Title: Sr. Simulation & Model Training Engineer - Drone Autonomy    

Job Location: San Jose, CA (This position requires a full-time, on-site presence in our San Jose, CA office)     

Job ID: AI2531     

Job Description:   

Overview: SiMa.ai provides high-performance computing for autonomous robotics. In this role, you will bridge virtual testing and real-world flight by building realistic simulation environments and training models for reliable deployment on physical drone hardware. 

What you'll do

  • Simulation & Synthetic Data — Create physics-based virtual environments and sensor models to generate high-fidelity synthetic datasets for robust model training.
  • Model Development — Design and refine AI architectures for perception, navigation, and multi-sensor fusion specifically for autonomous flight.
  • Edge Optimization — Optimize deep learning models to run efficiently on specialized, power-constrained edge hardware.
  • Validation — Establish automated testing pipelines that use real-world flight data to validate and improve sim-to-real performance. 

Qualifications:

  • 5+ years of experience in robotics, simulation, and training deep learning models for physical hardware.
  • Proven expertise in simulation platforms, sensor modeling, and flight dynamics.
  • Experience optimizing and deploying AI models to power-constrained edge devices.
  • Proficiency in modern programming languages (C++, Python) and robotics middleware (ROS).
  • Background in drone navigation, flight controllers, or aerial autonomy is highly preferred.
  • Degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace, or a related engineering field. 

Why it matters 

You will build the high-fidelity flywheel that enables every drone program running on SiMa.ai silicon to train faster and ship more reliably in the real world. 

Personal attributes:  

Can-do attitude. Strong team player. Curious, creative and good at solving problems. Execution and results-oriented. Self-driven, Thinks Big and is highly accountable. Good communication skills.   

The annual salary for this position ranges from $120,800 - $193,300. The actual annual salary offered will depend on several factors, including - among others - job-related skills, experience, technical expertise, qualifications, work location, and business needs. The annual salary range for this position is subject to change and may be adjusted in the future.   

In addition to base salary, this role is also eligible for private company equity, and a comprehensive package of employee benefits. Please note that the salary ranges listed for U.S. roles reflect base salary only and do not include equity or other forms of compensation.     

EEO Employer: SiMa is an equal opportunity employer; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, Veteran status, or any other protected classification.

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