Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomous Operations Analysis

Shield AI

Washington

On-site

USD 128,000 - 192,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

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Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Sr. Staff Engineer, Operational Analysis to drive modeling, simulation, and analysis for its autonomous aircraft systems.

You’ll evaluate mission effectiveness, survivability, and impact across platforms, collaborating with defense stakeholders to inform design trade-offs and optimize capabilities. You will guide CONOPS development, perform trade studies, and push for robust, reproducible analytics using cloud/HPC workflows, containerization, and CI/CD in a fast-paced

Qualifications

5+ years of experience in operational analysis, modeling & simulation (M&S), or military operations research.
Expertise in military mission analysis, operational planning, and wargaming methodologies.
Proficiency with AFSIM, STK, MATLAB, or other M&S tools used for aerospace and defense applications.
Deep understanding of air combat, ISR, electronic warfare, or autonomous systems in contested environments.
Experience working with DoD stakeholders, warfighters, and government agencies to align capabilities with mission requirements.
Demonstrated ability to seamlessly apply modern compute, data science, and software development best practices (e.g., cloud/HPC workflows, containerization, Git-based version control, CI/CD, automated testing, and reproducible analysis) to build and maintain reliable simulations and analytics.
Excellent communication and briefing skills, with experience presenting to senior leadership, customers, and military personnel.
Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with shifting priorities.

Responsibilities

Develop and execute operational analysis strategies to assess the effectiveness of autonomous aircraft in real-world military scenarios.
Lead modeling, simulation, and wargaming efforts to evaluate system performance, mission impact, and survivability in contested environments.
Work closely with engineering teams and product managers to translate operational insights into design decisions and system improvements.
Conduct trade studies and sensitivity analyses to assess system performance under varying operational conditions and threats.
Utilize advanced modeling & simulation tools (e.g., AFSIM, STK, MATLAB, Python) to develop high-fidelity mission models.
Analyze force-on-force engagements, sensor effectiveness, and autonomy-driven decision-making to optimize mission success.
Collaborate with DoD stakeholders, operators, and warfighters to understand mission needs and align system capabilities with operational requirements.
Support concept of operations (CONOPS) development for new AI-driven aircraft capabilities.
Identify emerging threats and operational challenges, ensuring Shield AI’s systems remain ahead of adversary capabilities.
Develop and present technical reports, briefings, and recommendations to senior leadership, customers, and government agencies.
Leverage modern compute and development best practices (e.g., scalable cloud/HPC workflows, containerization, version control, CI/CD, and automated testing) to build, run, and iterate high-fidelity simulation and analysis pipelines quickly and reliably.