2 days ago
San Mateo, CA, USASenior
Base Salary
$196k - $294k/yr
Responsibilities
- Design tactical autonomy algorithms for unmanned aircraft conducting complex missions across air, land, and sea domains.
- Develop high-performance software modules for planning, decision-making, and behavior execution.
- Implement and test behavior architectures supporting multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability.
- Blend rule-based autonomy with optimization, machine learning, and reinforcement learning methods.
- Collaborate with perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight-test teams to integrate autonomy solutions.
- Deploy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests, flight demonstrations, customer events, and live exercises.
- Analyze mission logs and performance data to diagnose failures and optimize behavior models.
- Research and prototype algorithms, identify capability gaps, and contribute to the autonomy roadmap.
- Adapt autonomy solutions to defense program requirements, compliance needs, mission sets, and customer feedback.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a similar field, or equivalent practical experience.
- At least 5 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, 4 years with a master’s degree, 2 years with a PhD, or equivalent work experience.
- Proficiency in C++ and Python and familiarity with real-time operating systems.
- Significant experience in robotics areas such as control systems, motion planning, optimization, tactical behaviors, or distributed decision-making.
- Significant experience with unmanned system technologies and related algorithms, ideally in the space domain.
- Experience using simulation tools and environments such as AFSIM or NGTS for testing and validation.
- Ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance in complex environments.
- Strong communication, teamwork, and multidisciplinary collaboration skills.
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance or higher.
- Preferred qualifications include experience across multiple aerospace domains, classical control through optimization and applied machine learning or reinforcement learning, collaborative behaviors and swarm robotics, DoD or government programs, and integration or customer demonstration events.
Benefits
- Full-time regular employees receive pay within the listed range plus bonus, benefits, and equity.
- Temporary employees receive pay within the listed range plus a temporary benefits package applicable after 60 days of employment.
- This is a full-time regular employee opportunity, with typical team travel of approximately 10–15% of the year.
- Offers are contingent on a cleared background and may include a reference check.
About Shield AI
Founded in 2015, 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.