Senior Autonomy Capabilities Engineer

Shield AI; San Mateo, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 234,000 - 351,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a senior member of the Autonomy Capabilities Team to design tactical autonomy algorithms and high‑performance software for unmanned platforms across air, land and sea. You will blend classical autonomy with learning‑based methods and ensure real‑world integration.

The role requires a BS/MS/PhD in CS, aerospace, robotics, or related fields, 7+ years in software subsystems, planning or flight controls, and proven leadership. Eligible to obtain a U.S.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in computer science, aerospace, robotics or related field.
• 7+ years in software subsystems, planning, task/resource allocation, motion planning or flight controls.
• Experience leading multi-disciplinary teams and full project lifecycles.
• Eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Tactical autonomy design for unmanned platforms across air, land and sea.
• High‑performance software modules with planning, decision‑making and behavior execution.
• Implement and test behavior architectures for multi‑agent coordination and reconnaissance.
• Hybrid autonomy integration blending rule‑based systems with learning methods.
• Collaborate with perception, planning, simulation, hardware and flight test teams.
• Deploy autonomy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests and demos.
• Analyze mission data to diagnose failures and inform iterative development.
• Contribute to autonomy roadmap through research and prototyping.

Skills

C++ programming

Leadership

Software architecture

Multidisciplinary collaboration

Education

BS/MS/PhD in CS or related field

Tools

ROS/ROS2

OMPL

Optimization solvers

Git/version control

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a senior member of the Autonomy Capabilities Team to design tactical autonomy algorithms and high‑performance software for unmanned platforms across air, land and sea. You will blend classical autonomy with learning‑based methods and ensure real‑world integration.

The role requires a BS/MS/PhD in CS, aerospace, robotics, or related fields, 7+ years in software subsystems, planning or flight controls, and proven leadership. Eligible to obtain a U.S.