Senior Real-Time Simulation Architect – Defence Autonomy

Shieldai; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in Australia is seeking a Staff Engineer in Modelling and Simulation to lead the development and operationalisation of high‑performance, real‑time and faster‑than‑real‑time simulation environments used by autonomy, perception, and systems engineering teams for uncrewed aircraft mission autonomy.

You will architect and implement C++ software for modelling, simulation, integration workflows, and system interoperability, including containerised deployments with Docker and Kubernetes.

Qualifications

• Tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field.
• Extensive software engineering and systems integration experience.
• Strong experience with modern C++ and familiarity with legacy C++ standards.
• Professional experience with Python.
• Demonstrated success delivering reliable software in fast-paced engineering environments.
• Experience leading teams delivering complex engineering or software projects.
• Hands-on experience with real-time, distributed simulation systems or HWIL/SWIL environments.
• Experience with Docker or similar containerisation technologies.
• Proficiency working in Linux development environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architecture, design, and evolution of distributed, real-time simulation systems across virtual, constructive, and live environments.
• Architect and implement high-performance C++ software for modelling, simulation, integration workflows, and system interoperability, including compatibility with legacy standards.
• Develop and optimise real-time and distributed simulation software supporting multi-agent scenarios, high-fidelity environments, and system-of-systems simulations.
• Integrate defence simulation frameworks such as AFSIM or NGTS to accelerate delivery and ensure alignment with defence customer expectations.
• Design and deliver containerised simulation deployments using Docker and Kubernetes for development, CI, testing, and operational environments.
• Provide technical and project leadership to engineering teams of 5+ contributors across software, autonomy, perception, test, and program functions.
• Collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to connect simulation with autonomy algorithms, hardware interfaces, and automated test pipelines.
• Drive innovation and continuous improvement in CI/CD, test-driven development, software architecture, and simulation tooling.
• Support key customer programs by delivering robust, validated, and scalable simulation environments.

Skills

C++

Python

Real-time simulation

Linux development

Docker & Kubernetes

Technical leadership

System integration

Uncrewed aircraft domain

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science / Software Engineering / Mechatronics

Tools

AFSIM

NGTS

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Shield AI in Australia is seeking a Staff Engineer in Modelling and Simulation to lead the development and operationalisation of high‑performance, real‑time and faster‑than‑real‑time simulation environments used by autonomy, perception, and systems engineering teams for uncrewed aircraft mission autonomy.

You will architect and implement C++ software for modelling, simulation, integration workflows, and system interoperability, including containerised deployments with Docker and Kubernetes.