Geospatial Applications Engineer
Company Overview
Vertical Aspect, LLC is a geospatial technology company empowering professionals across remote sensing, civil engineering, and surveying disciplines. As the North American reseller for many of the top brands, including Terrasolid, AISPECO, Teledyne, Inspired Flight, FreeFly Systems, Phoenix Lidar Systems, DJI, Virtual Surveyor, and many more, we help our customers leverage advanced geospatial software and hardware to their fullest potential, from project planning through final delivery.
Our mission is to ensure our customers succeed. We combine technical expertise, practical workflow knowledge, and a customer-first mindset to help organizations maximize ROI on their tools, whether through software training, hardware integration, or complete workflow optimization. At Vertical Aspect, we are more than a hardware and software reseller; we are a partner in our customers' success. As we continue to grow rapidly, we are investing in building the best team in the industry while maintaining the high level of service our customers expect.
Position Summary
The Geospatial Applications Engineer is the bridge between sales and support. You will run hardware & software demos, build and deliver aftersales training, work trade shows, and handle the technical side of customer relationships from first conversation through successful deployment.
This is not a support desk role, and it is not a pure sales role. You will carry your own book of business alongside the technical work. This position offers a gross margin commission, so you are rewarded for building the right solution for our customers. This position requires up to 50% travel.
What you will do
Demonstrations and pre-sales
Configure, fly, and demonstrate drone and Lidar systems for prospects and existing customers, on site and at industry events
Scope customer requirements and translate them into the right airframe, sensor, and software combination based on customer needs
Support quoting with accurate configurations unique to each customer's needs, integration requirements, and realistic accuracy expectations
Act as the technical lead on complex solutions for customers
Sales
Own and grow a defined book of business across hardware, sensors, and services
Prospect, qualify, and close new accounts; expand existing ones
Maintain accurate pipeline, forecast, activity records in CRM and report on deal progress to management
Sell training, integration, and support services alongside hardware
Aftersales training and enablement
Deliver onboarding and recurring training on flight operations, data collection, and postprocessing workflows
Build and maintain training materials, standard operating procedures, and internal knowledge base content
Run customer demo days, user group sessions, and webinars
Technical support
Provide firstline field and remote support for drone, LiDAR, and AISPECO systems
Diagnose integration issues across airframe, payload, power, and data interfaces
Coordinate escalations with manufacturers and internal specialists
Feed recurring field issues back into product selection and documentation
Events and industry presence
Represent Vertical Aspect at regional and national trade shows, conferences, and partner events
Convert event conversations into qualified pipeline
What we are looking for
Required
2+ years of handson professional experience with commercial UAS in a mapping, survey, or inspection environment
Physically capable of moving large demo equipment and performing in field flight demonstrations
Direct, handson experience with Freefly Systems and Inspired Flight platforms, including field setup, payload integration, and troubleshooting
Working knowledge of NDAAcompliant and Blue UAS listed systems and what those designations mean for customer procurement
Practical experience with both Lidar and photogrammetry data collection and postprocessing, including mission planning, ground control, trajectory processing, point cloud generation, and accuracy validation
Current FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate with verifiable flight time
Comfortable presenting and training in front of both small groups and large audiences
Valid driver's license, clean driving record, and willingness to travel 50 to 65%
Based in or willing to relocate to the Kansas City metro area
Preferred
Experience with additional NDAAcompliant platforms and payload manufacturers
Comfortable working across MAVLinkbased autopilot ecosystems, including PX4/Auterion (Freefly Astro/Alta X) and ArduPilot/CubePilot (Inspired Flight IF800/IF1200). Fluent in at least one ground control environment such as QGroundControl, Mission Planner, or Inspired Ground Control, and able to read logs, and troubleshoot integrations in the field
Experience with Riegl or Teledyne Lidar systems
Experience with Applanix and NovAtel based INS systems
Familiarity with survey fundamentals: coordinate systems, geoid models, RTK and PPK workflows, ground control and checkpoint methodology
Experience with mobile or terrestrial Lidar in addition to airborne
Prior work in a dealer, reseller, integrator, or manufacturer channel role
Comfort with a CRM and a disciplined sales process
Any of: gimbal integration, GNSS/INS postprocessing, boresight calibration, strip matching and QC
Compensation and benefits
Base salary of $70,000 to $85,000, depending on experience
Commission paid on gross margin, with accelerators above plan (ontarget earnings ~$120,000)
Relocation Assistance
Performance bonus tied to quarterly objectives
Health, dental, and vision insurance
Company 401(k)
2 Weeks Paid time off and paid holidays
Paid manufacturer training and certification, including travel to partner and industry events
Company card, per diem, and mileage or vehicle allowance for territory travel
Field equipment, laptop, and demo fleet access