Sr Staff Engineer – Maritime Autonomy & Multi-Agent Systems

AI Chopping Block; Washington, Northern (District of Columbia, KY); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to lead the Autonomy Capabilities Team in advancing multi-agent autonomy for USVs, UUVs, and cooperative UAVs. You will drive system-level design, mentor engineers, and ensure robust software that meets demanding mission needs.

The role emphasizes integrating traditional control methods with optimization and advanced ML/RL, while balancing theory and practical implementation across real-world platforms.

Qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Experience with unmanned systems and related algorithms is encouraged.
• Strong background in robotics technologies related to motion planning, behavior modeling, or autonomous system design.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical direction for the maritime autonomy portfolio across multiple programs.
• Develop and integrate autonomy capabilities for USVs, UUVs, and cooperating UAVs.
• Advance motion planning, localization, and shared perception across heterogeneous teams.
• Mentor engineers and decompose customer needs into concrete design approaches.
• Collaborate with perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and operational test teams.
• Deploy autonomy capabilities to real surface and unmanned systems and analyze mission logs.
• Contribute to autonomy roadmaps and prototype new algorithms to close capability gaps.
• Travel approximately 25% of the year for offices, customer sites, and integration events.

Skills

C++

Python

RTOS

Robotics

Problem-solving

Communication

Education

BS/MS in Computer Science / Electrical Engineering / Mechanical Engineering / Aerospace Engineering or equivalent

Tools

AFSIM

NGTS

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to lead the Autonomy Capabilities Team in advancing multi-agent autonomy for USVs, UUVs, and cooperative UAVs. You will drive system-level design, mentor engineers, and ensure robust software that meets demanding mission needs.

The role emphasizes integrating traditional control methods with optimization and advanced ML/RL, while balancing theory and practical implementation across real-world platforms.