Engineer II, Flight Test (R6222)

AI Chopping Block, Inc.; San Diego, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in San Diego is seeking a System Test Engineer II to support integration, verification, and validation of Hivemind Mission Autonomy across unmanned aircraft systems. You will collaborate with test, systems, software, autonomy, hardware, and program teams to prepare, execute, document, and improve system-level test activities.

This hands-on role suits an early-career engineer interested in autonomy, robotics, and flight-test operations.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in a STEM discipline or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience with engineering test, integration, troubleshooting, or verification activities.
• Familiarity with systems engineering concepts and technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Support test planning and execution for integration onto unmanned platforms.
• Assist with defining objectives, expectations, verification methods, and schedules.
• Develop and maintain system-level test procedures, cases, and configurations.
• Configure and troubleshoot SIL, HIL, simulation, and lab environments.
• Collect test data, telemetry, logs, and evidence for analysis.
• Analyze results, document defects, and support root-cause investigations.

Skills

Python

C++

Linux

Scripting

Debugging

Test planning

Education

Master's degree in STEM

Tools

Git

CI/CD

Job description

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

As an System Test Engineer II, you will support the integration, verification, and validation of Hivemind Mission Autonomy across a variety of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and mission applications. You will work with experienced test, systems, software, autonomy, hardware, and program teams to help prepare, execute, document, and improve system-level test activities.

This is a hands‑on engineering role for an early‑career candidate interested in autonomy, robotics, unmanned systems, simulation, software-and‑hardware integration, and flight-test operations. You will help evaluate whether autonomy capabilities perform as intended in simulation, laboratory, hardware-in-the-loop, software-in-the-loop, and, when applicable, flight-test environments.

Under the guidance of senior engineers, you will contribute to test planning, test execution, data collection, issue investigation, and technical documentation. You will also have opportunities to support integration events with internal teams, external platform partners, and customers.

What you'll do:

• Support test planning and execution for integration of Hivemind Mission Autonomy capabilities onto unmanned platforms and mission-system configurations.
• Assist senior test engineers with defining test objectives, expected system behavior, acceptance criteria, verification methods, and test schedules.
• Help develop, execute, and maintain system-level test procedures, test cases, checklists, and test configurations.
• Support setup, configuration, operation, and troubleshooting of software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), simulation, laboratory, and automated test environments.
• Assist with installation, configuration, and verification of test hardware, software, networks, ground‑control equipment, sensors, radios, computing systems, and supporting tools as applicable.
• Collect and organize test data, telemetry, logs, video, configuration information, and other evidence needed to evaluate system behavior.
• Help analyze test results, identify deviations from expected performance, document defects, and support root‑cause investigations with systems, software, autonomy, and platform‑integration teams.
• Contribute to performance metrics, test reports, test‑readiness materials, dashboards, and other reporting artifacts for internal engineering teams and external stakeholders.
• Assist with maintaining test infrastructure, test automation, simulation tools, and repeatable test configurations.
• Support development and maintenance of test procedures, standard operating procedures, configuration‑control records, lessons learned, and engineering documentation.
• Participate in test‑readiness reviews, technical planning meetings, issue‑triage sessions, and post‑test debriefs.
• Follow established safety, security, configuration‑management, and operational procedures during laboratory, simulation, integration, and flight‑test activities.
• Travel periodically to internal test sites, customer locations, and platform‑integration events as needed.

Required qualifications:

• Master's degree in a STEM discipline, such as Aerospace Engineering, Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Robotics, or a related field. Equivalent practical experience may be considered.
• Foundational experience with engineering test, integration, troubleshooting, or verification activities through coursework, internships, research, military service, laboratory work, personal projects, or professional experience.
• Familiarity with basic systems‑engineering and test concepts, including requirements, verification, validation, test procedures, configuration management, defect tracking, and technical documentation.
• Interest in autonomous systems, robotics, unmanned aircraft systems, flight‑test operations, simulation, embedded systems, or software-and‑hardware integration.
• Familiarity with Linux, Windows, command‑line tools, networking basics, and/or scripting or programming languages such as Python, Bash, C++, or similar tools.
• Ability to work methodically, follow detailed procedures, maintain accurate records, and manage several tasks in a fast‑paced engineering environment.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills, including the ability to investigate unexpected system behavior using logs, telemetry, test results, and input from subject‑matter experts.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to communicate technical findings to cross‑functional engineering teams.
• Demonstrated reliability, accountability, teamwork, attention to detail, and commitment to maintaining a respectful and high‑performing engineering culture.
• Ability to travel periodically in support of integration, testing, and customer activities.

Preferred qualifications:

• Internship, academic research, military, laboratory, personal-project, or professional experience involving UAS, autonomous vehicles, robotics, aviation, embedded systems, or complex integrated systems.
• Exposure to software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, simulation, modeling‑and‑simulation, or automated test environments.
• Familiarity with test automation, scripting, data collection, telemetry analysis, log analysis, or defect‑tracking tools.
• Exposure to software‑development and configuration‑management practices, including Git, issue tracking, build systems, continuous integration, or test automation.
• Familiarity with basic networking concepts, including Ethernet, IP networking, UDP/TCP communication, and network troubleshooting.
• Exposure to flight‑test, aviation, safety, or operational‑risk‑management processes.
• Working knowledge of Department of Defense development, test, evaluation, or acquisition processes, including Developmental Test and Evaluation (DT&E) or Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E).
• Experience working in a laboratory, integration facility, field‑test environment, maker space, research environment, or similar hands‑on technical setting.