Senior UAS Systems Engineer — Autonomy & Integration

Socket.dev; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Senior Systems Engineer to lead the architecture, integration, and testing of advanced autonomous aircraft systems for its next-gen UAS program. The role requires deep aerospace systems engineering expertise, strong MBSE capabilities, and a track record of integrating avionics, autonomy, propulsion, and sensors for mission-ready platforms.

You will collaborate with hardware, software, autonomy, flight operations, and manufacturing teams to define system requirements, perform

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in systems engineering for aerospace, defense, or autonomous aircraft systems.
• Demonstrated ability to define system behavior logic and operational modes.
• Deep expertise in system architecture, avionics integration, and autonomy-driven flight systems.

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 them into subsystems, and maintain traceability across the development lifecycle.
• Autonomy & AI Integration: Work closely 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 system performance.
• Risk Management & Trade Studies: Conduct trade studies to evaluate design alternatives, assess technical risks, and ensure the best engineering solutions for mission effectiveness.
• Stakeholder & Customer Engagement: Work closely with DoD stakeholders, industry partners, and government agencies to align system capabilities with operational requirements.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with hardware, autonomy, software, propulsion, and flight operations teams to drive seamless system integration and rapid development cycles.

Skills

MBSE

SysML

DOORS

CAMEO

Tools

MBSE

DOORS

SysML

CAMEO

Job description

Shield AI seeks a Senior Systems Engineer to lead the architecture, integration, and testing of advanced autonomous aircraft systems for its next-gen UAS program. The role requires deep aerospace systems engineering expertise, strong MBSE capabilities, and a track record of integrating avionics, autonomy, propulsion, and sensors for mission-ready platforms.

You will collaborate with hardware, software, autonomy, flight operations, and manufacturing teams to define system requirements, perform