1 year ago
Base Salary
$160k - $240k/yr
Responsibilities
- Integrate autonomy software onto unmanned aircraft systems across onboard compute, sensors, and control interfaces.
- Build, configure, validate, and prepare flight-ready systems while coordinating hardware and software compatibility.
- Support live flight operations with safety checks, system bring-up, troubleshooting, and time-critical issue resolution at test sites.
- Debug hardware, software, autonomy-stack, and embedded-system integration issues in laboratory and field environments.
- Manage flight data collection and post-test analysis to identify improvements to autonomous behaviors.
- Collaborate with autonomy, GNC, systems, and test teams to deliver and validate mission-critical functionality.
- Develop tools and processes that improve integration timelines, flight-test reliability, and team efficiency.
- Support documentation and system-level validation for certification, airworthiness, and defense compliance.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a similar field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Typically requires 5 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, 4 years with a master’s degree, or 2 years with a PhD, or equivalent work experience.
- Proficiency in C++ and Python and familiarity with real-time operating systems.
- Proficiency in Linux-based development, embedded systems, shell scripting, and system diagnostics.
- Knowledge of sensor integration, sensor fusion, and middleware frameworks such as ROS and DDS.
- Hands-on experience supporting flight demonstrations or live exercises.
- Experience with simulation tools and environments such as AFSIM and NGTS for testing and validation.
- Ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance in multidisciplinary environments.
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
- Preferred qualifications include unmanned aerial systems or flight-test campaign experience, familiarity with autonomy stacks and flight-control or GNC pipelines, electronics debugging or avionics bring-up, automation tools for testing and data parsing, DoD stakeholder interaction, and experience with UCI and OMS Standards.
Benefits
- Full-time employees receive pay within the listed range, bonus, benefits, and equity.
- Temporary employees receive pay within the listed range and a temporary benefits package applicable after 60 days of employment.
- The role typically requires travel to office locations, customer sites, and flight-integration events for approximately 30–40% of the year.
- Offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible 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.