Payload Operator & Embedded Data Analyst, internship

Description

About the company

Power lines, gas pipelines and railways are still inspected the way they were 50 years ago: by helicopter. Expensive, noisy, and up to a tonne of CO₂ per flight hour.

We built the alternative. The HyLighter is a 12-metre autonomous airship running on hydrogen. It flies for up to 10 hours, almost silently, and spots a 1 mm defect from 25 metres up.

But the airship is only half the story. Every flight brings back massive amounts of LiDAR, imagery and methane data, and that’s where the value is. Our AI turns it into what operators act on: 50+ types of defects detected automatically, and leaks pinpointed across their network.

It’s not a prototype. HyLighters already fly missions for France’s largest energy and rail operators and have flown over the Palace of Versailles.

Working at the company

We design, build and fly every HyLighter, and turn its data into insight, all under one roof on a former airbase. Which means:

You own it all the way. At a big aerospace company, you’d own a small piece of one subsystem. Here, you design it, test it, stand on the airfield when it flies, and see the client act on the data it brings back.

Weeks, not years. Ideas go from whiteboard to flight test in weeks.

Responsibility from day one. The founders’ average age is 27. Nobody here waits for permission.

We don’t care about titles or ticking every box. We care about what you build and the perspective you bring, so if your profile is different, apply anyway.

Job Summary:

This internship is at the core of our operations. The objective is to take ownership of the full operational payload workflow , from mission preparation to client delivery, while contributing to the continuous improvement of payload systems and data pipelines based on real operational feedback.

You will be involved in all operational phases of an inspection mission : mission planning, remote payload operations, data analysis, and client reporting and will use this hands-on experience to support the payload and data development roadmap.

The Mission:

End-to-End Operational Scope

Operations Preparation

Prepare mission parameters and payload configurations

Test our config to be sure we acquire all data we need

Live Payload Operations

Operate payloads remotely from the control room during live missions

Control gimbal and sensors in real time

Ensure data capture quality (LiDAR and imagery) throughout the mission

Data Analysis & Validation

Process LiDAR point clouds, imagery, methane sensing

Analyze collected data to identify defects or points of interest

Validate data completeness and consistency

Client Delivery

Prepare structured inspection reports and deliverables

Ensure data quality meets client and internal standards

Continuous Improvement & Roadmap Contribution

Improve flight preparation methods, payload presets, and operating procedures

Support Lead Payload and Lead Data on embedded systems and data workflow optimization

Contribute to tooling, documentation, or automation aligned with the development roadmap

Profile Sought:

Education:

Currently enrolled in an engineering school (4th or 5th year), or a final-year Licence / Bachelor in relevant backgrounds include embedded systems, computer science, mechatronics, robotics, applied physics, aerospace, or similar disciplines.

The following list of skills is exhaustive, while you may not perfectly fit with the profile, we highly value personal growth and development. We see our interns as potential future team leads at the company.

Technical Skills:

This is an exhaustive list of sought after skills, if you have

Microcontrollers: ESP32, Atmega328

Communication Protocols: UART, CAN, I2C, PWM, SPI, RS485

Programming languages: C/C++, Python

Electronics: PCB design, power electronics, electronic system sizing

Soft Skills:

Autonomous and reliable

Strong sense of responsibility during live operations

Interest in the drone industry

Curious, eager to learn, enjoy building and creating

Languages: English & French

Bonus Qualities:

Strong analytical and synthesizing mindset

Proactive in proposing innovative technological building blocks

Capable of estimating and communicating progress, meeting development timelines while anticipating challenges

Prior personal or academic projects (link them in your CV!)

Conditions

Office : Base 217, Brétigny-sur-Orge, accessible via RER C.

Lab and Warehouse access

Experience: Any (new grads ok)

Visa: US citizen/visa only

Benefits

• Real responsibility and mentorship with the Ops, Tech and Regulatory teams
• 100% reimbursement of public transport pass (Navigo) or €800/year for sustainable commuting
• Bike provided for commuting
• Free lunch
• Bi-annual offsite trips with the whole team
• Excellent work environment: international team, team events, beautiful offices on a former airbase
• Interview Process:
• Introductory phone call (20 min)
• Technical assessment
• Video interview with our Head of Data Louis (30 min)
• On-site meeting with the team (40 min)