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 to first responders, soldiers in battlefield scenarios, and beyond.

About the role

We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer specializing in WebRTC and cloud live video streaming to own the real-time media and data stack powering Skydio Remote Flight Deck (RFD), ReadyLink, and our Commands. Remote pilots and mission commanders rely on our browser and mobile clients to fly drones and view live feeds from anywhere — where every millisecond of latency and dropped frame matters.

You will focus on the cloud node ↔ LiveKit SFU ↔ browser/client media and data plane. Vehicles stream video and telemetry over multi-path links to cloud ingest nodes, which fuse streams, embed capture metadata, and publish tracks and control channels into LiveKit. On the browser side — including our 3D Cockpit — we bypass Chrome's standard WebRTC decode flow to run custom WebCodecs decode and frame-accurate telemetry sync pipelines.

How you'll make an impact

Own and optimize the cloud-to-browser streaming pipeline end-to-end — from cloud media publisher nodes (Go/C++) through LiveKit SFU to browser playback and data channels (TypeScript)

Bypass Chrome's built-in WebRTC decode pipeline using Encoded Transform / Insertable Streams and WebCodecs (VideoDecoder/VideoFrame) synchronizing video frames with 3D telemetry poses via in-band SEI / packet-trailer metadata

Architect and tune WebRTC media and data paths: RTP/RTCP packetization, congestion control (TWCC/GCC), NACK/RTX retransmission, PLI/keyframe recovery, and SCTP data-channel QoS for telemetry and pilot controls

Operate and harden LiveKit SFU deployments and SDKs (server-sdk-go, livekit-client, Pion) across cloud and on-prem/FedRAMP environments, including ICE/STUN/TURN and relay topologies

Build end-to-end streaming observability, QoE telemetry, and network-impairment benchmarks, partnering with vehicle and autonomy teams to couple browser feedback with upstream encoding

What makes you a good fit

5+ years of software engineering experience with deep production expertise in WebRTC and real-time video streaming

Strong command of WebRTC internals: PeerConnection, RTP/RTCP, SDP, ICE/STUN/TURN, SCTP data channels, jitter buffers, and congestion control (TWCC/GCC, NACK/RTX, PLI/FIR)

Deep experience with low-level browser media APIs: WebCodecs (VideoDecoder, VideoFrame), Encoded Transform / Insertable Streams, and custom decode/jitter pipelines bypassing default video playback

Production experience with LiveKit (or similar SFUs) and WebRTC stacks like Pion (Go) or libwebrtc, working across Go/C++ (cloud node) and TypeScript (browser)

Solid grasp of video codecs and framing (H.264, H.265/HEVC, GOP/IDR policies, Annex-B to RTP, SEI NAL / packet-trailer metadata, hardware acceleration)

Strong diagnostic skills using packet captures, browser getStats, and distributed telemetry, paired with empathy for users in high-stakes environments

Obtaining FAA Part 107 certification within the first 60 days of employment is strongly encouraged for all Skydio employees and required for certain positions.

Bonus points

Experience integrating WebCodecs (VideoFrame/ImageBitmap) with WebGL, WebGPU, or Three.js for 3D video projection and AR sync

Background in cloud ingest/republisher bridges, cloud gaming, or low-latency teleoperation over QUIC, UDP/FEC, or bonded cellular/Wi-Fi links

Experience patching open-source WebRTC libraries (livekit-client, server-sdk-go, pion/webrtc or running stateful media services on Kubernetes (FIPS/FedRAMP/on-prem)

Comfort with AI-assisted development workflows

Work Location

Hybrid in San Mateo, CA (3 days/week in office; relocation assistance available).