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
Shield AI builds autonomous systems for military and national security customers, combining its Hivemind autonomy software with V-BAT and X-BAT unmanned aircraft and Aechelon simulation technologies. The privately held company sells hardware, software, and related services to U.S. and allied defense agencies. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in San Diego, it operates across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, and its technology is used in operational deployments.