About this opportunity
Rownd, Inc. lists this Drone Electrical & Systems Engineer opportunity in town of hartford, Wisconsin. Review the employer’s description below for duties, qualifications and application requirements.
Job description
Own the electrical systems that make Rownd's autonomous drones fly: carrier boards, wiring architecture, avionics, power, pre-flight automation, field repair, and weekly runway testing.
This role is available only in the Greater Richfield / Slinger / Hartford, Wisconsin area.
Four days per week are in person, with active flight testing from Hartford Airport on most of those days. Research Triangle Park is not an option for this position.
Position type Full-time, on-site / hybrid
Compensation $85,000 - $125,000 DOE + meaningful equity
Location Greater Richfield / Slinger / Hartford, Wisconsin area; RTP is not an option for this role
Worksite Four days per week in office, with active flight testing from Hartford Airport on most of those days
Travel 5-8 weeks per year for domestic trials and international military exercises; no active warzones
About Rownd
Build the full drone, then prove it in the field.
Rownd is a fast-paced, high-execution technology and hardware startup building 100% autonomous physical assets for defense and commercial use. We do not stop at software or integrate only off-the-shelf parts; we build the full drone from the ground up.
This is a broad, hands-on electrical engineering role. You will collaborate with external board partners, draft complete wiring diagrams, source harness manufacturing, assemble and repair systems, automate diagnostics, and fly the resulting hardware every week.
Prior drone-flight experience is not required. We will train you on the airfield. What matters is that you find real autonomous hardware, real electrical tradeoffs, and seeing your designs take flight genuinely exciting.
Systems architecture
Own the avionics stack from diagram to flight.
Carrier boards and architecture
Specify, review, and guide custom carrier-board designs with external hardware partners. Review schematics, select connectors and pinouts, and validate incoming revisions.
Wiring and harness production
Create complete wiring diagrams, schematics, and cable pinout documentation, then source and coordinate outsourced wire-harness production runs.
Avionics and power integration
Integrate flight controllers, ESCs, BLDC motors, gas or hybrid engines, RF links, GNSS, and battery-management systems across Type 1-3 UAS platforms.
EMI mitigation and field repair
Fabricate and repair harnesses through crimping, soldering, potting, and heat-shrinking while eliminating interference between motor drivers and sensitive RF/GPS payloads.
Hands-on R&D and logistics
Use multimeters, oscilloscopes, and logic analyzers to diagnose power drops, signal integrity, and CAN, UART, I2C, or SPI faults.
Maintain the physical lifecycle and field readiness of Rownd's R&D hardware.
AI automation and flight operations
Use agentic AI tools such as Cursor, Claude, ChatGPT, and LLM coding assistants to accelerate software and diagnostics.
Write Python and C++ utilities that automate pre-flight checklists, sensor calibration verification, battery health checks, telemetry review, and log analysis.
Conduct active flight-line testing from Hartford Airport on most in-office days and troubleshoot live hardware issues on the runway.
Assist with PX4 and ArduPilot tuning, sensor-feed validation, client demonstrations, field trials, and multinational military training exercises.
A versatile electrical builder who wants to fly.
Hands-on experience with electronics, power distribution, wiring harnesses, motors, ESCs, or engines.
Demonstrated ability to draft system wiring diagrams and manage outsourced custom wire-harness manufacturing.
Comfort reviewing schematics and layouts while collaborating with external PCB design partners.
Pristine soldering, SMD rework, harness fabrication, crimping, and bench-testing skills; aerospace or mechanical experience is a strong plus.
Strong interest or experience using agentic AI to rapidly write Python or C++ automation and diagnostic tools.
No prior drone-piloting experience is required, but you should be excited to learn and fly hardware in the real world.
Must live in or relocate to the Greater Richfield / Slinger / Hartford, Wisconsin area and attend four days per week in person.
U.S. citizen eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Security Clearance.
Able to travel 5-8 weeks per year for domestic and international field exercises outside active warzones.
Culture, trust, and expectations
High trust, exceptionally high expectations.
Figure it out
You will not receive a finished wiring diagram or perfect bill of materials. Select robust components, solve noise and power issues, and make the electronics work flawlessly in the air.
Startups are fast and chaotic. Extreme ambiguity, rapid pivots, and fast-moving technical changes should push you to adapt and build.
Positive and collaborative
We are a tight-knit team. We look for people who are additive, collaborative, positive, and genuinely great to work with. No brilliant jerks.
Hard work and real rest
We work intensely when we are on, and we fiercely protect real time off so people can unplug and recharge.
Mission alignment
Rownd builds directly for the U.S. military and its allies. Every teammate must fully support that mission and feel comfortable building systems that protect service members.
Hiring process
Direct, transparent, and practical.
What's in it for you
End-to-end ownership, from bench to runway.
Build credentials by deploying tactical UAS platforms at domestic and international military exercises.
Receive fully paid U.S. and global field travel for client tests, trials, and exercises.
Earn $85,000 - $125,000 DOE plus meaningful equity and direct ownership in Rownd's growth.
Full-time Greater Hartford, WI area 5-8 weeks annual travel U.S. citizenship required
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Who can apply
Review the original listing for work authorization, qualifications and employer requirements.