Lead Autonomy Architect for RF Sensing & Systems

Shieldai; United States; Remote; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Senior Principal Autonomy Engineer to define and lead the technical strategy, architecture, development, integration, and fielding of advanced autonomy capabilities for high performance systems. Focus areas include sensing, perception, decision, guidance, and control in complex environments.

The role requires leadership across RF sensing, radar signal processing, and end-to-end simulation, with mentorship of engineers and collaboration with customers and partners. U.S.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of professional experience in autonomy, radar, RF sensing, signal processing, guidance and navigation, sensor fusion, aerospace systems, robotics, or related complex technical fields.
• Demonstrated technical leadership for the architecture, development, integration, and fielding of advanced autonomous, RF sensing, radar, electronic warfare, avionics, aerospace, or defense systems.
• Expert knowledge of radar and RF signal processing, including waveform design, adaptive processing, beamforming, direction finding, target detection and tracking, clutter modeling, interference mitigation, and performance assessment.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical vision, architecture, and development roadmap for autonomy capabilities that combine RF sensing, perception, state estimation, sensor fusion, decision logic, guidance, navigation, and vehicle control.
• Lead the development and maturation of advanced radar and RF signal processing algorithms, including waveform design, adaptive beamforming, direction finding, target detection and tracking, clutter mitigation, electronic protection, and sensor performance optimization.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for autonomy and RF system performance, leading high consequence trade studies, requirements decisions, architecture reviews, algorithm reviews, and technical risk resolution across the full system lifecycle.
• Establish and govern end to end simulation, modeling, and verification approaches, including RF scene generation, electronic attack and protection modeling, sensor models, 6 degree of freedom vehicle simulation, Monte Carlo analysis, software in the loop, hardware in the loop, and field test correlation.
• Lead cross functional technical integration across autonomy, software, RF hardware, avionics, embedded computing, vehicle systems, flight sciences, systems engineering, test, and manufacturing to ensure subsystem performance supports mission level autonomy outcomes.
• Translate mission and vehicle needs into rigorous technical requirements, performance budgets, interface definitions, algorithm specifications, verification plans, and measurable success criteria.
• Guide the technical development of real time algorithm implementations in MATLAB, Python, C, C++, and DSP environments, balancing performance, compute resources, latency, reliability, integration constraints, and operational needs.
• Lead technical engagement with customers, partners, suppliers, and executive stakeholders, communicating technical strategy, performance evidence, maturity, risks, tradeoffs, test outcomes, and recommended decisions.
• Build organizational capability by mentoring engineers, establishing technical standards, recruiting specialized talent, and raising the quality of algorithm development, systems engineering, modeling, verification, and test practices.
• Influence investment decisions, technical proposals, and growth initiatives by defining differentiated autonomy and RF capabilities, assessing technical feasibility, shaping solution architectures, and supporting customer facing technical engagements.

Skills

Radar and RF signal processing

Autonomy systems development

Technical leadership

System architecture & strategy

Effective communication

Security clearance eligibility

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science

Master’s degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or related field

Tools

MATLAB

Python

C

C++

Job description

Shield AI seeks a Senior Principal Autonomy Engineer to define and lead the technical strategy, architecture, development, integration, and fielding of advanced autonomy capabilities for high performance systems. Focus areas include sensing, perception, decision, guidance, and control in complex environments.

The role requires leadership across RF sensing, radar signal processing, and end-to-end simulation, with mentorship of engineers and collaboration with customers and partners. U.S.