Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Weapons (R5400)

Shieldai; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 190,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Shield AI seeks a Lead Technical Delivery engineer to drive autonomy capabilities from software-in-the-loop to live field tests. You will own complex integration efforts, coordinate across Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, and external partners, and mentor engineers to deliver fleet-scale autonomous solutions for defense applications.

You will guide design reviews, ensure system-level quality, and manage pre-deployment readiness and mission support, including hardware/software validation and

Qualifications

• BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience.
• Typically 7+ years of relevant experience.
• Expert C++ and Linux development experience.
• Experience leading complex autonomy or embedded software integration efforts.
• Experience influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams.
• Experience supporting operational test events or customer deployments.
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
• Experience with launched effects or distributed autonomous systems.
• Experience integrating PX4, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot solutions.
• Experience with fleet-scale autonomous operations.
• Experience with disconnected or air-gapped deployments.
• Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.
• Experience with UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, or TAK/CoT.

Responsibilities

• Lead the technical delivery of major autonomy capabilities and drive technical direction across teams.
• Develop and field autonomy software on launched effects platforms and integration with autopilot systems.
• Serve as the primary technical interface across multiple teams and external partners.
• Lead design reviews, architecture decisions, and ICDs to improve engineering rigor.
• Coordinate validation, release planning, and hardware/software compatibility pre-deployment.
• Provide technical leadership during flight tests, demonstrations, and deployment activities.
• Lead root-cause analysis and debugging across autonomy software and hardware interfaces.
• Analyze mission data, reproduce issues, and drive corrective actions.
• Build tools and processes to improve deployment velocity and reliability.
• Drive C2 interoperability and open-systems standards alignment.
• Travel 10–20% of the year to support offices, sites, and tests.

Skills

C++

Linux

Autonomy software

Leadership

Cross-team collaboration

Mentoring

Operational test support

System integration

TAK/CoT

Clearance (SECRET)

PX4/ArduPilot

Fleet-scale autonomy

Air-gapped deployments

Education

BS in Engineering

MS in Engineering

Job description

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

The Autonomous Pilot Integration team for launched effects builds autonomy solutions for small, often air- or ground-launched platforms that operate in multi-agent fleets and frequently in disconnected or air-gapped environments. We combine capabilities from the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team (e.g., track fusion), and the Hivemind SDK to develop the autonomy software that runs on launched effects platforms, then integrate, validate, and field it on the real hardware—for U.S. and international defense customers. Our engineers write new autonomy code—such as mission behaviors, platform-specific control, multi‑agent coordination, contingencies, and executive autonomy—and own it end‑to‑end from software-in-the-loop, to hardware-in-the-loop, to vehicle-in-the-loop, to live test exercise.

In this role, you’ll lead the technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities spanning platform integration, fleet operations, and operational deployment. You’ll own some of the team's most challenging technical problems while driving technical direction across multiple subsystems and collaborating closely with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception, feature crews, autopilot vendors, C2 providers, and customer partners. You’ll combine deep technical expertise with systems thinking to deliver scalable autonomy solutions for fleet‑scale operations.

Lead Technical Delivery

Lead the technical execution of major autonomy capabilities; drive technical direction, coordinate cross‑functional execution, mentor engineers, and help deliver complex integration efforts.

Develop & Field Autonomy

Develop and integrate autonomy software solutions onto launched effects platforms, including autopilot integration, payload systems, executive autonomy, multi‑agent coordination, and fleet‑scale deployment to disconnected or air‑gapped environments.

Collaboration Across Teams & Partners

Serve as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception team, feature crews, autopilot vendors, C2 providers, and customer/contractor partners; influence interface definitions and coordinate integration across organizations.

Design & Documentation

Lead design reviews, contribute to architecture decisions and ICDs, improve engineering rigor, and establish repeatable integration practices across multiple efforts.

Pre‑deployment Preparation

Drive mission readiness for Capability Releases and fleet‑scale deployments by coordinating validation, release planning, hardware/software compatibility, and operational readiness.

On‑site Test & Mission Support

Provide technical leadership during flight tests, customer demonstrations, range exercises, and operational deployments while troubleshooting complex issues under time‑critical constraints.

Hardware/Software Debugging

Lead root‑cause analysis across autonomy software, payload computers, embedded systems, networking, and platform interfaces using simulation, lab testing, and field data.

Mission Data & Debrief Support

Analyze mission data, reproduce issues, coordinate corrective actions across engineering teams, and drive continuous improvements into future releases.

Continuous Improvement

Build tools, automation, and engineering processes that improve deployment velocity, mission reliability, developer productivity, and integration efficiency.

C2 Interoperability & Standards

Drive implementation of command‑and‑control interfaces and support compliance with open‑systems standards while coordinating closely with external integration partners.

Travel Requirement

Members of this team typically travel around 10–20% of the year to different office locations, customer sites, operator training events, flight tests, and integration exercises.

• BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience.

• Typically requires 7+ years of relevant experience.

• Expert C++ and Linux development experience.

• Experience leading complex autonomy or embedded software integration efforts.

• Experience influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams.

• Experience supporting operational test events or customer deployments.

• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

• Experience with launched effects or distributed autonomous systems.

• Experience integrating PX4, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot solutions.

• Experience with fleet‑scale autonomous operations.

• Experience with disconnected or air‑gapped deployments.

• Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.

• Experience with UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, or TAK/CoT.

Full-time regular employee offer package:

• Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

• Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part‑time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.