Senior Modeling & Simulation Engineer - Real-Time Aerospace

Shieldai; San Diego (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is building a foundational simulation platform for its next-generation VTOL aircraft. As a Staff Modeling & Simulation Engineer, you will develop our simulation engine in C++ and deploy models across physics and ML domains to evaluate autonomous flight algorithms.

You will collaborate with autonomy, embedded, GNC, and test teams, lead V&V studies, and mentor junior engineers. A BS and 7+ years in simulation, plus clearance eligibility, are required.

Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, Aerospace, Robotics, or related field.
• 7+ years of experience in simulation software development with C++.
• Strong understanding of rigid-body dynamics and the physics of dynamic systems.
• Experience with robotics/aerospace simulation systems.
• Secret clearance eligibility; US citizenship required.
• MS or PhD in a related field.
• Familiarity with C++20 and modern standards.
• Real-time, deterministic software design; multi-threading.
• DevOps-integrated simulation workflows (CI/CD).
• Experience with hardware- and software-in-the-loop simulation.

Responsibilities

• Develop infrastructure and models in C++ for autonomous aircraft simulation.
• Architect deterministic, high-performance simulation software.
• Lead verification and validation analyses on models and tooling.
• Collaborate across autonomy, embedded, GNC, and test engineering teams.
• Train and guide junior engineers in modeling and simulation practices.
• Contribute to platform-agnostic simulation tooling.

Skills

C++ development

Simulation engineering

V&V analysis

Multithreading

Python scripting

CI/CD tooling

Clearance eligible

Education

BS in CS/Aerospace/Robotics

MS/PhD preferred

Tools

CMake

Conan

Nix

GTest

Job description

Shield AI is building a foundational simulation platform for its next-generation VTOL aircraft. As a Staff Modeling & Simulation Engineer, you will develop our simulation engine in C++ and deploy models across physics and ML domains to evaluate autonomous flight algorithms.

You will collaborate with autonomy, embedded, GNC, and test teams, lead V&V studies, and mentor junior engineers. A BS and 7+ years in simulation, plus clearance eligibility, are required.