Lead Autonomy Engineer – Fleet-Scale Defense Software

F7d8749a; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a seasoned engineer to lead the technical delivery of autonomy capabilities for launched effects platforms. You will integrate autopilot, payloads, and fleet-scale deployments in disconnected environments, owning complex software across multiple subsystems.

You’ll collaborate with the Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, and customer/partner teams, guiding architecture decisions and ICDs, while mentoring engineers and driving repeatable integration practices from

Qualifications

• BS/MS in an engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience.
• Typically 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Expert C++ and Linux development experience.
• Experience leading autonomy or embedded software integration efforts.
• Experience influencing technical direction across multiple teams.
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical delivery of major autonomy capabilities; drive direction and coordinate execution.
• Develop and field autonomy software onto launched effects platforms and flight systems.
• Serve as primary technical interface across teams and customer partners; influence interface definitions.
• Lead design reviews and architecture decisions; improve integration practices.
• Coordinate validation, release planning, and hardware/software compatibility for deployments.
• Provide technical leadership during flight tests and demonstrations; support field operations.
• Lead root-cause analysis across autonomy software and hardware interfaces.
• Analyze mission data and drive corrective actions across teams.
• Build tools and processes to improve deployment velocity and reliability.
• Drive C2 interoperability and standards alignment with external partners.
• Travel 10–20% for offices, sites, tests, and training.

Skills

C++ development

Linux development

Technical leadership

Autonomy software integration

Systems integration

Clearance eligibility

Education

BS/MS in engineering

Tools

PX4

ArduPilot

Job description

Shield AI seeks a seasoned engineer to lead the technical delivery of autonomy capabilities for launched effects platforms. You will integrate autopilot, payloads, and fleet-scale deployments in disconnected environments, owning complex software across multiple subsystems.

You’ll collaborate with the Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, and customer/partner teams, guiding architecture decisions and ICDs, while mentoring engineers and driving repeatable integration practices from