Staff Software Engineer: Autonomy for Unmanned Systems

Shield; San Mateo (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Benefits

Equity

Job summary

Shield AI is seeking a seasoned software engineer to join the Autonomy Capabilities Team to design and implement high‑performance C++ modules for unmanned platforms across air, land, and sea. You will balance theory with practice, integrating perception, planning, and flight test feedback to deliver robust autonomy solutions.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in software development, a BS/MS/PhD in a related field, experience with ROS/OMPL, and the ability to obtain an active U.S. Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or related field
• Proficient in production-level C++ software development
• 7+ years’ experience in software sub-systems scheduling, behavior planning, motion planning, optimization, or flight controls
• Experience with collaborative software development tools (version control, issue tracking, code reviews, releases)
• Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams and manage full project lifecycles

Responsibilities

• Tactical Autonomy Design: design autonomy algorithms for unmanned aircraft across domains with minimal supervision
• High-Performance Software Development: build modules for planning, decision-making, behavior execution in dynamic environments
• Behavior Architecture Implementation: implement multi-agent coordination and reconnaissance behaviors
• Hybrid Autonomy Integration: blend rule-based and learning-based methods for robust behavior
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: work with perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test teams
• Deployment & Field Testing: deploy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests
• Mission Data Analysis: analyze logs to diagnose failures and optimize models
• R&D and Roadmapping: research and prototype new algorithms for roadmap advancement

Skills

C++ development

Leadership

Robotics

Software integration

Education

BS/MS/PhD in CS or related field

Tools

ROS

OMPL

Git

Job description

Shield AI is seeking a seasoned software engineer to join the Autonomy Capabilities Team to design and implement high‑performance C++ modules for unmanned platforms across air, land, and sea. You will balance theory with practice, integrating perception, planning, and flight test feedback to deliver robust autonomy solutions.

Ideal candidates have 7+ years in software development, a BS/MS/PhD in a related field, experience with ROS/OMPL, and the ability to obtain an active U.S. Secret clearance.