Autonomy Engineering Manager, Launched Effects

f7d8749a-72d6-407c-bf98-292ea630c73a; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 220,000 - 330,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a leader for the Autonomous Pilot Integration team to own delivery, growth, and health of autonomy software for launched effects. You will hire, mentor, and guide engineers while staying close to code, guiding design, development, and field deployment of major capabilities.

You will collaborate with Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, and vendors to ensure robust, field-ready autonomy across multi-agent fleets and air-gapped environments.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience
• Typically requires 7 years with a Bachelor’s; 5 years with a Master’s; 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent
• 2+ years of direct people-management experience (1:1s, reviews, hiring decisions)
• Experience building or growing an engineering team (interviewing, hiring, onboarding)
• Mentoring engineers and growing their technical skill and career trajectory
• Leading a small technical team or owning a major capability from design to field delivery
• Authoring or negotiating interface contracts / ICDs with stakeholders
• Direct experience with launched effects or small unmanned platforms
• Experience with multi-agent, swarm, or fleet-scale autonomy
• Strong C++ proficiency for real-time/latency-sensitive systems
• Proficiency in Linux-based development and embedded systems
• Familiarity with middleware/pub-sub/IPC (DDS, message buses)
• Hands-on with live exercises, demos, or OT for launched effects
• Experience with autonomy simulation environments for testing/validation
• Strong problem-solving and cross-stack skills
• Excellent communication and teamwork in multidisciplinary settings
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance

Responsibilities

• Lead a small-to-mid engineering team; manage performance and growth
• Drive hiring; partner with recruiting; conduct interviews
• Mentor engineers; provide actionable technical feedback
• Develop autonomy software for launched effects platforms and field delivery
• Lead a feature crew or sub-program; set direction and unblock work
• Interface with Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, vendors, and partners
• Drive design reviews, ICDs, and post-mortems for your area
• Own build/config/validation for mission-ready systems (50-150+ units)
• Travel to test sites and live missions for support and demonstrations
• Debug integration across autonomy stacks, embedded systems, and hardware

Skills

C++

Linux

Embedded systems

Autonomy / multi-agent

Team leadership

Python

PX4

ArduPilot

C2 interfaces

Communication

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent experience

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

QGroundControl

DDS

Linux

Python

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a leader for the Autonomous Pilot Integration team to own delivery, growth, and health of autonomy software for launched effects. You will hire, mentor, and guide engineers while staying close to code, guiding design, development, and field deployment of major capabilities.

You will collaborate with Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, and vendors to ensure robust, field-ready autonomy across multi-agent fleets and air-gapped environments.