Systems Engineer | Defence

Location: Sector-132, Noida, (involves travelling with the team to various test sites across India)
Salary (CTC): ₹6-8 LPA
Job Type: Full-time, On-site
About Zoid-
ZOID is a deep-tech R&D startup developing advanced defence and aerospace technologies for the Indian Military and UAV manufacturers. Our work spans AI, electronics, robotics, autonomous systems and UAV platforms.
Our current projects include AI-based FOD detection for naval air stations, GNSS-denied navigation, aerial intelligent mapping, reusable off-board missile decoys, vision-based kinetic strike systems and drone swarming solutions.
Role Overview-
We are looking for a hands-on Systems Engineer to support the end-to-end design, integration, testing, flight operations and deployment of UAV systems.
The role requires strong practical knowledge of drone hardware, avionics, flight controllers, power systems, communication links, payload integration and field testing. The candidate must be comfortable manually flying small to medium-category UAVs and travelling to test locations across India.
Key Responsibilities-
UAV Systems & Integration
Lead, design and assemble end-to-end integration of UAV subsystems: propulsion, avionics, control, payload and power.
Hands-on with various frame designs — Quad/Hex/Octa copters, fixed-wing, VTOL, etc.
Select suitable drives, electronic components, sensors and hardware.
Knowledge of motors, ESCs, propellers — their specs and configuration.
Configure, integrate, calibrate and auto-tune flight controllers (Pixhawk, Cube Orange+, PX4, etc.).
Analyse flight logs using Mission Planner, QGroundControl or MAVLink tools for pre- and post-flight debugging.
Knowledge of standard flight modes (stabilize, althold, poshold, loiter, land, rtl, guided, auto), fail-safes (RC, GCS, battery, geofence, EKF) and mission planning.
Familiar with standard Pixhawk Cube parameters and setting them via Mission Planner.
Communication & Networking
Ability to configure IP networks — IP addressing, subnet masks, gateways, routing — and get companion computers, flight controllers, payload processors, routers and ground stations talking on the same network.
Knowledge of serial communication protocols: UART, SPI, I²C, CAN, RS-232, including baud rates and debugging.
Understanding of telemetry radios, RC links, video links, mesh networks, Ethernet, LTE/5G modems, VPN/routing and IP-based payload communication.
Understanding of MAVLink routing, UDP/TCP endpoints, packet loss, latency and link redundancy.
Basic RF knowledge — understanding of what a signal is and the fundamentals behind it.
Power System Design
Understanding of Li-ion/LiPo packs, C-rating, discharge curves, BMS, cell balancing and safe charging/discharging.
Ability to calculate power Budget, current draw, endurance, payload power and voltage rail requirements.
Knowledge of PDBs, DC-DC converters, BECs, fuses, connectors, wire gauge selection and grounding.
Troubleshoot brownouts, voltage drops, ESC desync, power noise and overheating.
Sensor & Payload Integration
Integrate EO/IR cameras, gimbals, LiDAR, rangefinders, GNSS/RTK modules, IMUs, magnetometers, payload controllers and RF payloads.
Read sensor datasheets and understand interfaces, power needs, mounting constraints and calibration.
Test payload data flow from sensor → onboard computer → ground station.
Ability to read datasheets, schematics, pinouts and reference manuals to bring up and test embedded boards.
Software & Development
Python skills are mandatory for development, log analysis / visualization, automation and tooling.
Working knowledge of Ubuntu / Linux is required, including basic commands (SSH, SCP, mkdir, cd, rm, etc.) and day-to-day use of a Linux environment.
Basic firmware development, flashing, debugging and peripheral interfacing on microcontrollers such as STM32, ESP32, Arduino or similar.
Qualifications
Education: Diploma or degree in Electronics, Mechanical, Computer Science, Robotics, Electrical or a related field. Equivalent experience also considered.
Experience
Minimum 3 years in a Avionics Systems Engineer preferably in a startup, R&D or defence-tech setup.
Prior experience in defence/aerospace product testing and deployment.
Experience building and operating drones from scratch and running day-to-day autonomous/semi-autonomous flights.
Hands-on Skills
Integrating flight controllers with ESCs, GPS, power modules, telemetry, RF systems and onboard computers.
Familiarity with aviation regulations and military standards for UAV development is a plus.
Core Skills-
Proficiency in MS Office, Canva, AI Tool like Claude.
Strong problem-solving — able to think critically and creatively about complex engineering challenges.
Good communication skills for working with cross-functional teams.
Proficiency in English is mandatory.
Additional Requirements
Willingness to travel to test sites across India.
Comfortable working outdoors for extended durations.
Preferred Skills
Beyond the requirements above, any of the following is a big plus:
Advanced software experience with C++, ROS and Gazebo.
Familiarity with embedded processors beyond standard computers — microcontrollers, SBCs, SoCs and FPGA-based development boards.
Basic familiarity with FPGA / SoC-FPGA workflows: HDL, synthesis, bitstream generation, programming and hardware validation using tools like Vivado/Vitis or similar.
Awareness of different RF architectures, with the judgement to do design and analysis of the subsystems in an RF chain.
Understanding of antenna theory, types of signals, jamming signals and SDRs
Skills: avionics,uav,python,debugging,ubuntu / linux

Work arrangement
No