Senior UAS Systems Engineer – Autonomy & Avionics Lead

Shield AI; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 144,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking an experienced Senior Systems Engineer to lead the design, development, and integration of next-generation autonomous UAS for national defense. You will own system architecture, drive MBSE modeling, and ensure avionics, autonomy, propulsion, and sensors meet mission requirements.

Collaborate across hardware, software, autonomy, flight operations, and manufacturing to deliver a scalable, mission-ready platform capable of operating in contested environments, while aligning

Qualifications

• 5+ years of systems engineering experience in aerospace/defense/autonomous aircraft.
• Demonstrated ability to define system behavior and operational modes.
• Deep expertise in system architecture, avionics integration, and autonomous flight systems.
• Proficiency with MBSE, SysML, DOORS, CAMEO or similar tools.
• Experience with Group 4/5 UAS or autonomous airborne platforms.
• Strong background in flight testing, integration, and validation.
• Knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, MIL-STDs, and FAA airworthiness.
• Ability to lead cross-functional teams in a fast-paced, agile environment.
• Experience from clean-sheet development to first flight.
• Ability to obtain S//SAR clearance is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Perform System Architecture & Design: develop and refine the system architecture for the next gen UAS, ensuring seamless integration of avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensor payloads, and mission systems.
• Define and document system-level behavior, including modes, states, transitions, and fault responses
• Support safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA) by defining behavior under fault conditions
• Define and Manage System Requirements: establish top-level requirements, decompose into subsystems, and maintain traceability across the development lifecycle.
• Autonomy & AI Integration: work with autonomy and software teams to integrate AI-driven flight control, decision-making, and mission execution capabilities.
• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE): utilize SysML, DOORS, or other MBSE tools to create digital system models, conduct trade studies, and optimize performance.
• Risk Management & Trade Studies: conduct trade studies to evaluate design alternatives, assess technical risks, and ensure best engineering solutions.
• Stakeholder & Customer Engagement: work with DoD stakeholders, industry partners, and government agencies to align capabilities with requirements.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: partner with hardware, autonomy, software, propulsion, and flight operations teams for rapid development cycles.

Skills

Systems engineering

Aerospace/defense

Autonomy integration

MBSE

SysML

DOORS

CAMEO

Flight testing

DoD MIL-STDs

Team leadership

Job description

Shield AI is seeking an experienced Senior Systems Engineer to lead the design, development, and integration of next-generation autonomous UAS for national defense. You will own system architecture, drive MBSE modeling, and ensure avionics, autonomy, propulsion, and sensors meet mission requirements.

Collaborate across hardware, software, autonomy, flight operations, and manufacturing to deliver a scalable, mission-ready platform capable of operating in contested environments, while aligning