Chief Engineer, Space Autonomy

Shield; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 211,000 - 316,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Chief Engineer, Autonomy — Space Domain to lead the technical vision for space-domain autonomy across satellites, payloads, and ground systems. You will own architecture, design, risk, verification, and customer confidence for mission-ready autonomy.

You will drive end‑to‑end development, validation, and deployment, coordinating with product, mission operations, security, and partners while mentoring a team of engineers and domain experts to deliver reliable, scalable

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical discipline; advanced degree preferred.
• 12+ years of experience in autonomy, space systems, ISR, or related fields.
• Senior technical leader responsible for end-to-end system outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the senior technical authority for space-domain autonomy and mission architecture.
• Define and evolve an autonomy architecture across satellites, hosted payloads, ground systems, and data sources.
• Lead development of autonomous behaviors for multi‑orbit tasking and resource management.
• Architect data collection, processing, fusion, and dissemination across platforms and networks.
• Oversee verification, validation, and technical readiness for milestones and demonstrations.
• Mentor a high‑performing technical organization including engineers and data specialists.

Skills

Autonomy

Space systems

Leadership

Systems engineering

Mission planning

Software-in-the-loop

Education

Bachelor’s degree in technical field

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a Chief Engineer, Autonomy — Space Domain to lead the technical vision for space-domain autonomy across satellites, payloads, and ground systems. You will own architecture, design, risk, verification, and customer confidence for mission-ready autonomy.

You will drive end‑to‑end development, validation, and deployment, coordinating with product, mission operations, security, and partners while mentoring a team of engineers and domain experts to deliver reliable, scalable