Senior Engineer, State Estimation (R5165)

Shield AI; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a State Estimation Engineer to join the GNC team in San Diego. You will develop and optimize algorithms to fuse data from IMUs, radar, cameras, GPS, and other sensors so the X‑BAT can operate autonomously in complex environments.

You will design real‑time processing pipelines, validate algorithms through field tests, and collaborate with software, autonomy and hardware teams to deliver robust state estimates for autonomous flight and sensing systems.

Qualifications

• Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 4 years and a Master’s degree; or 2 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
• Experience developing and deploying real‑time sensor processing algorithms, e.g. with cameras, radar, IMUs, GPS, etc.
• Solid understanding of state estimation techniques, such as Kalman filters, particle filters, etc.
• Experience with C++ 11 or newer.
• Experience with Linux, command line tools, etc.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders.
• Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high‑quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed expectations in a fast‑paced environment.
• You have a demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
• Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement advanced sensor algorithms for processing data from IMUs, radar, cameras, GPS, and other sensors.
• Enhance state estimation algorithms by integrating multi‑sensor data for improved accuracy and robustness.
• Design and implement real‑time sensor data processing pipelines.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including software engineers, autonomy researchers, and hardware engineers, to ensure seamless integration of state estimation algorithms.
• Conduct experiments and field tests to validate the performance of state estimation algorithms in real‑world scenarios.
• Stay updated with the latest advancements in sensor technologies and state estimation, applying them to our systems.

Skills

Sensor fusion

C++11

Linux

State estimation

Kalman filters

Particle filters

Real-time processing

Cross-functional collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree with related experience

Master's degree

PhD

Tools

CUDA

FPGAs

Job description

Founded in 2015, 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 and V‑BAT and X‑BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia‑Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture‑backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown a fighter jet (F‑16), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (X‑BAT), and a quadcopter (Nova). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI’s products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies.

As a State Estimation Engineer, you will work on the GNC team to develop and optimize algorithms that process and fuse data from various sensors to provide accurate, reliable state estimates, enabling the X‑BAT to operate autonomously in complex and contested environments.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Develop and implement advanced sensor algorithms for processing data from IMUs, radar, cameras, GPS, and other sensors.
• Enhance state estimation algorithms by integrating multi‑sensor data for improved accuracy and robustness.
• Design and implement real‑time sensor data processing pipelines.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams, including software engineers, autonomy researchers, and hardware engineers, to ensure seamless integration of state estimation algorithms.
• Conduct experiments and field tests to validate the performance of state estimation algorithms in real‑world scenarios.
• Stay updated with the latest advancements in sensor technologies and state estimation, applying them to our systems.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Typically requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 4 years and a Master’s degree; or 2 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
• Experience developing and deploying real‑time sensor processing algorithms, e.g. with cameras, radar, IMUs, GPS, etc.
• Solid understanding of state estimation techniques, such as Kalman filters, particle filters, etc.
• Experience with C++ 11 or newer.
• Experience with Linux, command line tools, etc.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders.
• Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high‑quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed expectations in a fast‑paced environment.
• You have a demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
• Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Experience in implementing inertial navigation algorithms on real‑time processing systems.
• Knowledge of computer vision techniques.
• Proficiency in optimizing algorithms for compute‑constrained systems.
• Experience with CUDA or other hardware acceleration technologies (e.g. FPGAs).
• Proven track record of transitioning from R&D to production.

$160,000 - $240,000 a year

Full‑time regular employee offer package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part‑time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.