Director of Mission Effectiveness & Autonomous Systems

Shield; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 225,000 - 340,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Director of Mission Effectiveness to lead a multidisciplinary organization spanning operational analysis, survivability, communications, and integrated mission systems for next-generation autonomous aircraft.

You will establish technical and business strategy, align investments with product objectives, and oversee execution from concept through fielding, ensuring compliance with safety, cyber, and certification requirements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, mathematics, or another relevant technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience supporting complex military aircraft, autonomous systems, or other aerospace and defense programs.
• Demonstrated experience leading and developing a multidisciplinary engineering organization that includes people managers and senior technical leaders.
• Broad working knowledge across mission systems, operational analysis, modeling and simulation, survivability, secure communications, avionics, sensors, payloads, or weapons integration.
• Experience establishing organizational and technical strategies while managing technical, programmatic, and organizational risk.
• Executive-level communication skills with demonstrated success influencing customers, operators, business leaders, engineering teams, and government stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary organization spanning operational analysis, survivability, communications, and integrated mission systems.
• Define technical strategy, capability roadmaps, and investment priorities aligned with aircraft program objectives, customer requirements, and broader business goals.
• Oversee the development of integrated mission-system architectures encompassing sensors, payloads, avionics, weapons, secure communications, autonomy, and aircraft survivability.
• Direct modeling, simulation, wargaming, and system-of-systems analysis to evaluate mission effectiveness, operational performance, emerging threats, and aircraft design alternatives.
• Lead cross-functional trade studies that balance mission capability, survivability, technical risk, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and program maturity.
• Ensure disciplined execution from requirements definition and architecture development through hardware-in-the-loop testing, signature validation, flight test, certification, and fielding.
• Partner with engineering, product, program management, business development, and aircraft leadership to deliver integrated and mission-relevant capabilities.
• Engage DoD customers, operators, suppliers, and government stakeholders to shape requirements, refine concepts of operations, support key decisions, and communicate the operational value of Shield AI’s solutions.
• Recruit, coach, and develop people managers and senior technical leaders while building organizational depth and succession capability.
• Ensure compliance with applicable system-safety, airworthiness, cybersecurity, security, and certification requirements.

Skills

Executive communication

Leadership

Systems engineering

Program management

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Master's degree or PhD (preferred)

Tools

SysML

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a Director of Mission Effectiveness to lead a multidisciplinary organization spanning operational analysis, survivability, communications, and integrated mission systems for next-generation autonomous aircraft.

You will establish technical and business strategy, align investments with product objectives, and oversee execution from concept through fielding, ensuring compliance with safety, cyber, and certification requirements.