Engineering Manager - Drone

Role Overview

The Engineering Manager will lead multidisciplinary engineering teams to design, develop, test, and deploy UAV platforms and associated subsystems in compliance with Indian DGCA regulations.

This role combines technical leadership, people management, and cross-functional coordination to deliver reliable, safe, and innovative drone solutions for applications such as logistics, mapping, surveillance, agriculture, defence, Customised Drones with making make in India Brand popularising Globally.

Indigenisation of Drones will be key responsibility, so knowledge of drone ancillaries, vendor selection, BoM vs targeting price etc. are key essentials

Requirements

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical Leadership

• Lead end-to-end engineering development of drone platforms.
  
• Oversee hardware design for indigenisation including structures, propulsion, power systems, avionics, payload integration, and communication systems.
  
• Guide software teams working on autopilots, flight control algorithms, onboard computing, navigation, and mission planning.
  
• Ensure system architecture is robust, scalable, and optimized for performance, weight, and cost with multiutility as USP
  
• Drive the adoption of modern engineering practices: simulations, rapid prototyping, testing automation, CI/CD, MBSE (automate the engineering lifecycle, enabling continuous validation of system models against their requirements), etc.
  
• Logs based RCA, CAPA, SoP for Preventive Measures
  
• FW/SW/HW upgrades / updated in field. Track and record.
  

2. Team & Project Management

• Manage and mentor mechanical, electronics, aerospace, and software engineers.
  
• Define project timelines, milestones, resource planning, and deliverables.
  
• Coordinate with manufacturing, QA, supply chain, certification, and field operations teams.
  
• Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement.
  

3. Compliance & Certification (India-Specific)

• Ensure compliance with DGCA Drone Rules, 2021, Green Zone rules, VLOS, BVLOS, UIN processes, and safety standards.
  
• Oversee documentation required for drone type certification and flight permissions.
  
• Work closely with regulatory bodies and testing labs to meet certification requirements.
  

4. Testing & Quality Assurance

• Establish rigorous test protocols: functional testing, environmental testing, FMEA, flight testing, reliability checks, Followed by SoPs.
  
• Ensure high levels of product quality, flight stability, redundancy, and safety.
  
• Implement root-cause analysis and continuous product improvement.
  

5. Cross-Functional Leadership

• Collaborate with Product, Business, and Customer Service teams to translate market needs into engineering specifications.
  
• Support customers and field teams in deployment, troubleshooting, and upgrades.
  
• Engage in vendor/supplier management for components such as motors, ESCs, flight controllers, batteries, and composite materials.
  

6. Strategic Contribution

• Identify emerging technologies (AI-based autonomy, BVLOS systems, swarm tech, sense
  
• and-avoid, 5G/edge connectivity).
  
• Drive R&D initiatives aligned with long-term product roadmap.
  
• Contribute to hiring, budgeting, vendor / supplier qualification and technology partnerships.
  
  

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering, Electronics, Mechatronics, or related fields.
  
• 8+ years of engineering experience, with at least 3+ years in UAVs, robotics, or autonomous systems.
  
• Experience with flight controllers (PX4, ArduPilot), UAV dynamics, control theory, and embedded systems.
  
• Strong understanding of UAV manufacturing processes: composites, injection moulding machining, electronics, battery systems.
  
• Proven track record of managing engineering teams and delivering complex hardware/software products
  
  

Preferred/Good-to-Have

• Proficiency in engineering tools: CAD (SolidWorks/CATIA), MATLAB/Simulink, ROS, embedded C/C++, Python.
  
• Experience with BVLOS operations, drone delivery platforms, or defense UAVs.
  
• Knowledge of AI/ML for vision-based navigation or autonomy.
  
• Familiarity with wireless communication technologies: RF, LTE/5G, mesh networks.
  
• Experience working with Indian drone ecosystem: DGCA, QCI, MoCA, RPTOs, and certification partners.
  
• Start-up experience or history of building engineering teams from scratch.
  

Key Competencies

• Strong leadership & people management
  
• Systems thinking & problem-solving
  
• Excellent communication & stakeholder management
  
• Detail-oriented with a focus on safety, customer satisfaction & quality
  
• Strategic mindset with execution discipline