Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Emerging Domains (R5398)

Shieldai; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 190,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Equity

Benefits

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a senior engineering leader for the Emerging Domains group. You will define technical direction across new platforms, forge architecture and integration strategies, and drive autonomy programs end-to-end from R&D to fielded systems.

You will mentor senior engineers, partner with platform teams and leadership, and travel to various locations for demonstrations and tests. A SECRET clearance is required.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience.

Responsibilities

• Stand up new autonomy programs across space, maritime, and other platforms.
• Define technical strategy and architecture for Emerging Domains.
• Lead engineering through ambiguous and evolving customer needs.
• mentor senior engineers and influence direction without formal authority.
• Travel 10–20% for office locations, customer sites, and field tests.
• Collaborate with platform teams, leadership, and customers to shape long-term portfolios.

Skills

C++

Linux

Technical strategy

Mentoring

Clearance (SECRET)

Autonomy programs

Cross-program leadership

Systems integration

Prototype-to-operations

Defense/DoD familiarity

Education

BS/MS in engineering

Job description

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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

The Autonomous Pilot Integration team for Emerging Domains builds autonomy solutions for new platforms and mission profiles outside Shield AI's established portfolios—including space (satellites, missile defense), maritime (USV and UUV integration), and contested logistics(unmanned helicopters and related autonomous resupply platforms). The team takes on short-term R&D and integration efforts—often standing up the first autonomy on a brand-new platform or mission, with the intent that successful efforts grow into larger, multi-year programs. We combine capabilities from the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team (e.g.,ViDAR, ATR), and the HivemindSDK—selectively leveraging existing Shield AI autonomy solutions where they apply—to develop autonomy that runs on these new platforms. Our engineers write new autonomy code—such as mission behaviors, platform-specific control, multi-agent coordination, contingencies, and executive autonomy—and own it end-to-end from software-in-the-loop, to hardware-in-the-loop, to vehicle-in-the-loop, to live test exercise.

In this role, you'll define the technical direction for Emerging Domains, guiding autonomy strategy across multiple new platforms and mission areas while helping transform early-stage R&D efforts into scalable, long-term programs. You'll solve the organization's most complex technical challenges, influence engineering strategy across organizations, and partner with engineering leadership, platform teams, and customer stakeholders to shape the future of Shield AI's next generation of autonomy portfolios.

Stand Up New Programs

Define the technical strategy forestablishingautonomy on entirely new platforms and mission areas,determiningwhat should be built, reused, or extended from existing Shield AI capabilities.

Navigate Ambiguity & Shifting Priorities

Lead engineering through evolving customer needs, changing priorities, and uncertain technical landscapes while maintaining execution and long-term technical vision.

Technical Strategy & Portfolio Leadership

Define long-term technical direction across Emerging Domains, establishing architecture, integration strategies, and engineering patterns that enable successful transition from R&D to operational programs.

Develop & Field Autonomy

Guide development and deployment of autonomy capabilities across space, maritime, contested logistics, and future emerging platforms while ensuring successful operational delivery.

Platform Team Partnerships

Build deep technical partnerships with platform organizations and influence interface evolution, integration strategy, and long-term platform architecture.

Collaboration Across Teams & Partners

Influence architecture across Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, platform teams, engineering leadership, customer organizations, and external partners.

Design & Documentation

Lead architecture reviews, engineering standards, ICDs, and technical best practices across multiple organizations.

Pre-deployment Preparation

Guide release strategy, mission validation, and operational readiness across multiple emerging programs.

On-site Test & Mission Support

Provide senior technical leadership during critical demonstrations, operational exercises, and customer events where deep systems expertise is required.

Hardware/Software Debugging

Lead resolution of the organization's most challenging autonomy integration problems spanning software, hardware, embedded systems, and platform interfaces.

Mission Data & Debrief Support

Drive organizational learning from operational testing and shape future technical investments based on mission outcomes.

Continuous Improvement

Drive long-term improvements to engineering processes, developer experience, testing infrastructure, and integration workflows across the Emerging Domains portfolio.

C2 Interoperability & Standards

Define technical strategy for command-and-control interoperability and guide adoption of platform-appropriate open-systems standards across emerging programs.

Grow R&D into Programs

Partner with engineering leadership and customers to evolve successful R&D efforts into scalable, long-term programs while helping shape technical strategy for future portfolios.

Hiring & Developing Technical Talent

Help define the technical hiring bar for senior engineering roles, mentor future technical leaders, and partner with managers to grow organizational capability.

Travel Requirement

Members of this team typically travel around 10–20% of the year to different office locations, customer sites, operator training events, flight tests, and integration exercises.

• BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience. Typically requires 10+ years of relevant experience.

• Expert-level C++ and Linux systems development experience.

• Demonstrated experience defining technical strategy across multiple programs or engineering organizations.

• Proventrack recordsolvinghighly complexsystems integration challenges in ambiguous environments.

• Experience mentoring senior engineers and influencing engineering direction without formal authority.

• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

• Experience leading first-of-kind autonomy or advanced R&D efforts.

• Experience across multiple autonomy domains (air, maritime, space, ground, or robotics).

• Experience transitioning prototypes into operational systems.

• Experience with government R&D programs and defense customers.

• Experience shaping engineering practices across an organization.

• Experience with UCI, OMS, STANAG 4586, or other defense interoperability standards.

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 toequal 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.