Field Support Engineer
About Paladin
Paladin builds Drone-as-First-Responder systems that get eyes on emergencies in under 90 seconds. Our autonomous drones, LTE connectivity, and Watchtower platform help police, fire, and EMS make faster, safer decisions.
Paladin systems support thousands of missions every week, delivering real-time aerial intelligence to public safety agencies across the country. Kaizen—continuous improvement—is core to how we build, deploy, and operate life-saving technology.
Role Summary
As a Field Support Engineer, you are the technical backbone of Paladin’s customer deployments. You work directly with public safety agencies to install, support, and maintain autonomous drone systems in mission-critical environments.
You are Paladin’s on-site representative—owning system reliability in the field, resolving complex hardware and software issues, and translating real-world operational insights into actionable feedback for engineering, product, and operations teams. This role blends hands-on field work, remote troubleshooting, and customer-facing technical leadership.
What You’ll do
- Deploy, install, and commission Paladin drone systems at customer sites, ensuring systems meet operational and safety requirements.
- Assist 24/7 Reliability: Participate in an on-call rotation covering critical incidents across software, firmware, networking/LTE, and on-site hardware setups (docks, sensors, EXT/compute, cabling).
- Diagnose and resolve system failures; perform maintenance, repairs, upgrades, and component replacements across drone docks, sensors, compute, and networking equipment.
- Support customer training, operational readiness, and best practices to ensure reliable day-to-day system use.
- Collect logs, diagnostics, and field data to support root-cause analysis and long-term reliability improvements.
- Work closely with Engineering, Product, and Customer Success teams to resolve issues, improve deployments, and harden systems for scale.
- Document field issues, resolutions, and best practices to improve internal processes and customer outcomes.
- Travel frequently to customer sites across the U.S. to support deployments, maintenance, and escalations.
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field (or equivalent hands-on experience)
- 2+ years of experience in field engineering, technical support, systems engineering, or similar roles
- Strong troubleshooting skills across hardware, software, and networking systems
- Experience working with Linux-based systems or embedded platforms
- Comfortable working in customer-facing, mission-critical environments
- Strong communication skills with a calm, professional demeanor under pressure
- Ability to travel frequently and work flexible hours when needed
- Valid driver’s license
Nice to Have
- Experience supporting UAVs, robotics, autonomous systems, or IoT devices
- Familiarity with networking concepts (LTE, VPNs, firewalls, TCP/IP)
- Experience working with public safety, government, or regulated environments
- Hands-on experience with mechanical or electrical systems
- FAA Part 107 certification (or willingness to obtain)
On-Call & Travel Expectations
- On-call: Participates in and manages a 24/7 rotation; off-hours and weekends as needed.
- Travel: ~30–60% variable; spikes for critical incidents, new city launches, and complex integrations.
What We Offer
- Competitive salary and equity packages.
- Health, dental, and vision insurance.
- Unlimited PTO and paid holidays.
- A mission-driven, innovative company culture.
- A collaborative, fast-paced environment where your work creates real impact.