Senior Staff Software Engineer (Autonomy Capabilities)

Shield AI; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent Medical Coverage

Mental Health Employee Assistance Plan

Paid Parental Leave

Pet Insurance

Flexible Work Hours

Onsite Gym (DC)

Gym Discount (San Diego)

Free Parking

Stock Benefits

401K Services and Match

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking an experienced Autonomy engineer to advance tactical autonomy across air, land, and maritime platforms. You will design multi-agent coordination, planning, and behavior architectures, delivering high-performance software integrated with perception and flight testing teams.

The role emphasizes real-world deployment, rigorous validation, and collaboration across DoD-aligned programs. A SECRET clearance or eligibility is highly desirable, with travel typical for field

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CS/EE/ME/Aerospace or equivalent practical experience; typically 7–10 years depending on degree.
• Strong programming in C++ and Python, RTOS familiarity.
• Experience with unmanned system technologies (air domain) and planning/behavior/decision-making.
• Experience applying ML/RL techniques in autonomy pipelines.
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
• Excellent communication and teamwork in multidisciplinary environments.
• Hands-on experience supporting flight demos or live exercises.

Responsibilities

• Design autonomy algorithms to enable single- and multi-agent platforms across air, land, and sea domains.
• Develop high-performance software modules for planning, decision-making, and behavior execution.
• Test and validate behavior architectures for multi-agent coordination and mission objectives.
• Integrate autonomy solutions with perception, simulation, hardware, and flight test teams.
• Deploy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests and demonstrations.
• Contribute to R&D roadmaps by prototyping new algorithms for tactical capabilities.
• Support defense-focused programs and adapt autonomy solutions to evolving missions.

Skills

C++

Python

RTOS

Unmanned systems

Motion planning

Behavior modeling

Decision making

Reinforcement learning

ML pipelines

Secret clearance eligible

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE/ME/Aerospace or equivalent

Tools

AFSIM

NGTS

Job description

• The Autonomy Capabilities Team develops functionality to automate single- and multi-agent teams of platforms in pursuit of mission objectives and acts as a central discipline-aligned focal-point for encouraging consistent usage of technical approaches across business portfolios
• This team operates at all levels of the command-and-control hierarchy (from advanced control laws, through motion planning, and up to advanced tactical behaviors and multi-agent coordination) and across a multitude of mission sets, platform types, and operational domains (e.g., air, sea, space)
• The team puts a strong emphasis on both fundamentals (e.g., aircraft kinematics/dynamics, trajectory design, optimization, information fusion, efficient algorithms, etc.) and software integration skillsets (e.g. structures, protocols, threading, interface management, etc.) to bring market-differentiating capabilities to customers that seamlessly operate within their integration contexts
• Developed solutions are expected to be integrated into real-world platforms with near-term program impacts and rewards and so balancing theory with practice and rigorous implementation is paramount
• Tactical Autonomy Design - Design tactical autonomy algorithms to enable unmanned aircraft to perform complex missions across air, land, and sea domains with minimal human supervision
• High-Performance Software Development - Develop high-performance software modules that incorporate planning, decision-making, and behavior execution strategies for dynamic and adversarial environments
• Behavior Architecture Implementation - Implement and test behavior architectures that enable multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability in contested scenarios
• Hybrid Autonomy Integration - Work at the intersection of classical autonomy and machine learning, blending rule-based systems with learning-based methods such as reinforcement learning to achieve robust, adaptive behavior
• Cross-Functional Collaboration - Collaborate with cross-functional teams including perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real-world platforms
• Deployment & Field Testing - Deploy autonomy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests and flight demos, validating performance in operationally relevant conditions
• Mission Data Analysis - Analyze mission logs and performance data to diagnose failures, optimize behavior models, and inform iterative development
• R&D and Roadmapping - Contribute to the autonomy roadmap by researching and prototyping new algorithms, identifying tactical capability gaps, and proposing novel solutions that advance Shield AI’s mission
• Program Support & Adaptation - Support defense-focused programs and customer needs by adapting autonomy solutions to evolving mission sets, compliance requirements, and operational feedback
• Travel Requirement - Members of this team typically travel around 10-15% of the year (to different office locations, customer sites, and flight integration events)

Benefits

• Excellent Medical Coverage
• Mental Health Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Parental Leave
• Pet Insurance
• Flexible Work Hours
• Onsite Gym (DC)
• Gym Discount (San Diego)
• Free Parking
• Competitive Compensation
• Stock Benefits
• 401K Services and Match

This position is perfect for an individual who enjoys solving complex problems across a diverse set of programs and integration contextsAn ideal candidate is expected to address operational system needs through a multitude of advanced methodologies that blend traditional control system approaches with advanced optimizationExperience with simulation tools and environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS) for testing and validationStrong problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performanceProficiency in programming languages such as C++ and Python, and familiarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS)Significant experience with unmanned system technologies and accompanying algorithms (specifically air domain)Significant background in robotics technologies related to motion planning, behavior modeling, decision-making, or autonomous system designAbility to obtain a SECRET clearanceBachelor's in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree, or equivalent practical experienceTypically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 9 years and a Master's degree; or 7 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experienceExcellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environmentExperience applying ML/RL techniques in autonomy pipelinesBackground in collaborative behaviors, swarm robotics, or distributed decision-makingFamiliarity with tactical behaviors for unmanned systems in DoD or government programsWork on behaviors applicable across air, ground, and maritime vehiclesHands-on experience supporting flight demos or live exercisesExperience with UCI and OMS Standards