Staff Engineer Trajectory Modeling for Autonomous Flight

Front Door Defense; San Diego, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI in San Diego seeks a Staff Engineer to lead applied trajectory prediction and aircraft-response modeling for a real-time Run-Time Assurance (RTA) product. You will evolve trajectory-prediction algorithms, validate them with Python, simulation, HIL, and flight-test data, and collaborate with C/C++ engineers to deliver reliable software that can fly.

You will work at the boundary of safety logic, vehicle state, and autopilot APIs, turning data and test evidence into predictive models

Qualifications

• Minimum 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years with a Master’s; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
• Deep experience in trajectory prediction, aircraft-response modeling, aerospace simulation, robotics, applied autonomy, or GNC-adjacent domains (3DOF/6DOF).
• Expert-level Python for algorithm development, numerical analysis, data processing, plotting, tuning workflows, and test automation.
• Working proficiency in C or C++, able to read production code, debug, test, and guide software engineers.
• Experience interfacing guidance, trajectory, or safety-critical algorithms with autopilots and validating via simulation, HIL, flight data.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and validation of trajectory-prediction and recovery-behavior models using aircraft data and 3DOF/6DOF concepts.
• Build Python-based analysis, simulation, HIL, and flight-test workflows to compare predictions with observations and maintain regression data.
• Integrate trajectory-prediction with autopilot interfaces, including vehicle-state inputs and telemetry analysis.
• Contribute scoped C/C++ implementation, testing, and debugging for production software.
• Coordinate across algorithms, software, systems, test, and platform teams to ensure safe, reliable autonomous flight.

Skills

Python

C/C++

Trajectory prediction

Aerospace simulation

GNC

Modeling

Robotics

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master’s degree

PhD

Tools

MATLAB/Simulink

CMake

Conan

Linux

Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)

Job description

Shield AI in San Diego seeks a Staff Engineer to lead applied trajectory prediction and aircraft-response modeling for a real-time Run-Time Assurance (RTA) product. You will evolve trajectory-prediction algorithms, validate them with Python, simulation, HIL, and flight-test data, and collaborate with C/C++ engineers to deliver reliable software that can fly.

You will work at the boundary of safety logic, vehicle state, and autopilot APIs, turning data and test evidence into predictive models