Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Behaviors (R4588)

Front Door Defense; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in Boston seeks a Senior Software Engineer to build autonomy behaviors powering unmanned platforms across air, land, sea, and space. You will own components from design to deployment and collaborate across teams to evolve our mission autonomy software stack.

The role requires strong C++ skills, 5+ years in relevant areas, and eligibility for a U.S. Secret clearance; travel up to 20% may be required. The company focuses on defense‑tech software powering autonomous vehicles.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
• Proficient in production-level C++ software development
• 5+ years' experience in one or more of: software sub-system scheduling and integration, behavior planning, task and resource allocation, motion planning, optimization, or flight controls
• Experience with collaborative software development tools for version control, issue tracking, code reviews, release management
• Ability to contribute to the design, development, and integration of complex software systems as part of a multi-disciplinary team
• Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to learn new technologies in a fast-paced environment
• Willingness to collaborate closely with teammates and support team objectives
• Interest in growing technical skills and, over time, providing guidance to more junior engineers
• Desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast paced, and mission-driven environment
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

Responsibilities

• Develop autonomy software for unmanned platforms across air, land, sea, and space with minimal human supervision
• Implement and test behaviors for multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance
• Contribute across the software lifecycle: requirements, design, implementation, verification, validation
• Collaborate with senior engineers to design maintainable components integrating with sensor processing and state estimation
• Support reuse and extensibility by contributing to shared frameworks and codebases
• Work with product teams to deliver capabilities to vehicle platforms and ensure integration
• Collaborate with internal and external teams to align interfaces and system requirements
• Apply strong software engineering fundamentals while growing autonomy and robotics domain expertise
• Travel up to 20% to support integration, testing, and collaboration

Skills

C++ development

Software architecture

Multi-agent coordination

Problem solving

Collaborative software development

Education

BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science or related field

Aerospace or Electrical Engineering

Tools

ROS

OMPL

Git

Job description

Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Behaviors (R4588)

Develop and deploy autonomous behaviors powering unmanned platforms across air, land, sea, and space.

Location: Boston, Massachusetts; Washington, District of Columbia; San Diego, California

Compensation: $160,000 - 240,000 USD per year

About The Role

Senior Software Engineer

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.

The Autonomy Capabilities team at Shield AI has assembled a diverse team of experts in software, robotics, control systems, optimization, and data analysis to create software solutions that greatly evolve the capabilities of our customers. The team is responsible for developing autonomous behaviors within Shield AI's industry‑leading mission autonomy software stack and deploying them across a breadth of platforms, including the Anduril Fury, Northrup Grumman Talon, Shield AI V‑Bat, and other first and third‑party autonomous vehicles. We work in close coordination with specialist teams in software integration, hardware, and test engineering to solve some of the hardest problems facing our customers.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you'll build and own autonomy behaviors that directly power our products, taking responsibility for key components from design through deployment. You'll work across teams to turn complex mission needs into reliable, scalable software, balancing near‑term delivery with long‑term maintainability and performance. In this role, you'll play a critical part in shaping how autonomy capabilities are designed, integrated, and evolved across our platforms.

What You'll Do:

• Develop tactical autonomy software to enable unmanned platforms to perform complex missions across air, land, sea, and space domains with limited human supervision
• Implement and test behaviors supporting multi‑agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability in contested scenarios
• Contribute across the software development lifecycle, including requirements, design, implementation, verification, and validation, following established engineering best practices
• Collaborate with senior engineers to design and build scalable, maintainable software components that integrate with broader system architecture (e.g., sensor processing, state estimation, communications, and actuation)
• Support reuse and extensibility of autonomy behaviors by contributing to shared frameworks and codebases
• Work with internal product and program teams to deliver capabilities to vehicle platforms, helping ensure successful integration and iteration over time
• Collaborate with cross‑functional and external teams to align on interfaces and system requirements
• Apply strong software engineering fundamentals to solve complex technical problems, while continuing to grow domain expertise in autonomy and robotics systems
• Travel up to 20% to support integration, testing, and collaboration with end‑users and partner teams

Required Qualifications:

• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
• Proficient in production‑level C++ software development
• 5+ years' experience in one or more of the following: software sub‑system scheduling and integration, behavior planning, task and resource allocation, motion planning, optimization, or flight controls
• Experience with collaborative software development tools for version control, issue tracking, code reviews, release management
• Ability to contribute to the design, development, and integration of complex software systems as part of a multi‑disciplinary team
• Demonstrated problem‑solving skills and ability to learn new technologies in a fast‑paced environment
• Willingness to collaborate closely with teammates and support team objectives
• Interest in growing technical skills and, over time, providing guidance to more junior engineers
• Desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast paced, and mission‑driven environment
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with systems at one or more technology readiness levels (TRLs), including supporting the maturation of research concepts toward operational use
• Experience with mission systems integration, including participation in integration events, testing, or demonstrations
• Experience in one or more of the following areas:
  • Collaborative mission planning, behavior planning, or coordinated teaming
  • Motion planning across different vehicle types or constraints
  • Sensor/target pairing, control strategies, or related autonomy functions
  • Safety systems such as collision avoidance or geofencing
  • Experience with robotic software ecosystems (e.g., ROS, OMPL, optimization tools)
  • Experience with simulation tools for testing and validation
  • Familiarity with navigation and communications systems
  • Experience contributing to portions of the product development lifecycle
  • Familiarity with systems engineering principles
  • Familiarity with high‑assurance software practices (e.g., DO‑178C or similar standards)

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.