Autonomy Capabilities Lead – Space & Defense Systems

Shield; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI in Arlington, VA is seeking a Sr Staff Engineer to lead the autonomy portfolio, shaping architectures across programs and translating customer needs into tangible designs. This role blends control theory with cutting‑edge optimization and requires a deep robotics background.

You will mentor engineers and collaborate with perception, planning, hardware, and flight test teams to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real space platforms.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Typically requires 10+ years with a Bachelor’s, 9+ years with a Master’s, or 7+ years with a PhD; or equivalent experience.
• Proficiency in C++ and Python; familiarity with RTOS.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical direction for the autonomy portfolio across multiple programs.
• Drive large‑scale distributed optimization, tasking, and scheduling for space platforms.
• Advance the state of the art in low‑swap optimal control and autonomous behavior management.
• Develop high‑performance software modules with clear interfaces ready for mid‑ to high‑TRL insertions.
• Collaborate with perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test teams for seamless integration of autonomy solutions.
• Deploy autonomy capabilities to real space vehicles and analyze mission logs to verify performance.
• Contribute to autonomy roadmaps by researching new algorithms and identifying tactical capability gaps.
• Travel 10–15% of the year to different office locations and events.

Skills

C++

Python

RTOS

Robotics

Autonomy integration

Education

BS or MS in Computer Science or related field

Equivalent practical experience

Tools

AFSIM

NGTS

Job description

Shield AI in Arlington, VA is seeking a Sr Staff Engineer to lead the autonomy portfolio, shaping architectures across programs and translating customer needs into tangible designs. This role blends control theory with cutting‑edge optimization and requires a deep robotics background.

You will mentor engineers and collaborate with perception, planning, hardware, and flight test teams to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real space platforms.