Senior Engineer Software Autonomous Aircraft Integration
Shield AI is a U.S. defense-technology company developing mission-autonomy software and autonomous aircraft for military and allied operations.
Funding history
Investors
About Shield AI
Founded in 2015, Shield AI builds Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft for operations in contested, GPS- and communications-denied environments. Its current site also presents Aechelon synthetic-reality simulation and Vision Systems detection and tracking products.
Skills
Candidate Availability
Required and preferred rules are kept separate and reflect the wording in the original posting.
About the Role
You will integrate autonomy software with unmanned aircraft systems, prepare flight-ready configurations, and support flight testing. You will troubleshoot hardware and software issues, capture and analyze flight data, improve deployment processes, collaborate across engineering disciplines, and support certification and compliance activities.
Requirements
- BS or MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a similar discipline, or equivalent practical experience
- Minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree, 4 years with a Master's degree, or 2 years with a PhD
- Proficiency in C++ and Python
- Familiarity with real-time operating systems
- Linux-based development, embedded systems, shell scripting, and system diagnostics experience
- Knowledge of sensor integration, sensor fusion, ROS, and DDS
- Hands-on experience supporting flight demonstrations or live exercises
- Experience with AFSIM or NGTS
- Strong troubleshooting and system-performance optimization skills
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance
Responsibilities
- Integrate autonomy software onto unmanned aircraft systems
- Build, configure, and validate flight-ready systems
- Travel to test sites and support live flight operations
- Diagnose and resolve hardware and software integration issues
- Manage mission data collection and post-test analysis
- Collaborate with autonomy, GNC, systems, and test teams
- Build tools and processes to improve integration timelines and flight test reliability
- Support certification, airworthiness, compliance documentation, and system-level validation
- Travel approximately 30-40% of the year
Benefits
- Bonus
- Equity