We build drones with unlimited range (by recharging on power lines). The grid is the world’s largest machine. Thus, we can collect data anywhere, anytime. We're selling a full-stack inspection service to power utilities by delivering reports with annotated photos of equipment that is broken or at risk. Our mission is to find faults and other maintenance concerns before they spark wildfires. Today power utilities are our customer, but tomorrow they'll be our deployment partner. At scale we are a new infrastructure layer for data on the physical world.

Company Overview

Voltair builds drones that recharge directly off power lines. We are a YC-funded (W26) technology company focused on preventing wildfires by enabling continuous inspection of electric infrastructure.

Our drones collect large volumes of visual and sensor data from live power lines. That data must be reviewed by people who know the grid from firsthand experience.

Job Summary

Voltair is hiring an Inspection Data Review Contractor to support utility inspection programs across the United States. This role is focused exclusively on reviewing drone-collected inspection data and identifying infrastructure conditions that matter to utilities.

This is a fully remote, desk-based role. It does not involve flying drones, field deployment, or crew management. This role requires deep, hands-on experience maintaining and repairing power utility infrastructure. Candidates without direct field experience working on distribution or transmission systems should not apply.

Location & Work Style

• Location: Fully remote (U.S.-based)
• Schedule: Part-time contractor, flexible hours
• Work Style: Independent, detail-oriented, asynchronous

Compensation: $25–65/hour, depending on experience

Key Responsibilities

Review and analyze drone imagery and inspection data of electric utility poles to identify maintenance exceptions across distribution assets, including insulators, wooden structures, hardware assemblies, transformers, fuse cutouts, capacitors, tie wires, and related equipment.

Judgment, Documentation, & Collaboration 

• Must support good design and organization of data.
• Provide feedback to engineering teams to improve review tools and workflows
• Help refine definitions of defects, risks, and conditions utilities care about

Minimum Qualifications

Required Experience

• Deep, hands-on experience maintaining, repairing, or inspecting power utility assets. 
• Strong familiarity with distribution infrastructure components and failure modes

Practical Requirements

• Strong attention to detail and consistency
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision
• Ability to review imagery for extended periods
• Reliable computer and internet access

Bonus Qualifications

• Experience with annotation or structured review tools (training provided)

Ideal Candidate Profile

This role is best suited for a retired or semi-retired journeyman lineman or utility asset inspector who has spent years identifying, fixing, and prioritizing real asset defects in the field.

Our drones recharge inductively from power lines by harvesting the magnetic field with a current transformer. We build custom drones with COTS parts. We collect visual and thermal data. Soon we'll fly our drones BVLOS over LTE, but today our field technicians collect data on-site. We run this data through a MV pipelines and then deliver the GIS and PDF reports to our customers.

Our Hardest Challenges

• Performant recharging on distribution lines
• Drone weather hardening & reliability
• Tele-operations & autonomy
• Mission planning with (1) range / recharge locations (stochastic!) (2) weather (3) FAA and other compliance constraints + traveling inspector problem
• Cost effective uplink & data management / MV on the edge