5 months ago
Base Salary
$195k - $293k/yr
Responsibilities
- Develop and integrate autonomy software for unmanned platforms across air, maritime, space, ground, and effects/expendables systems.
- Lead a small feature crew or sub-program through design, development, integration, validation, and field delivery.
- Write mission behaviors, platform-specific control, multi-agent coordination, contingencies, and executive autonomy code.
- Perform payload computer bring-up, container-based deployment, onboard compute and sensor configuration, and C2 interface integration.
- Author and negotiate interface control documents and interface contracts with internal teams and external platform and C2 partners.
- Lead design reviews, post-mortems, process improvements, and standards-compliance efforts.
- Own build, configuration, compatibility, mission-readiness, and release processes for mission-ready systems.
- Support flight tests, range exercises, on-water trials, integration events, and live mission operations at test sites.
- Debug autonomy stacks, payload computers, and embedded systems, including memory, CPU, and timing performance profiling.
- Capture mission data, reproduce issues in simulation, and drive fixes into subsequent builds.
- Mentor engineers, support onboarding and growth planning, interview candidates, and help define the skills bar for the team.
Requirements
- BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a similar field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Typically 7 years of related experience with a bachelor’s degree, 5 years with a master’s degree, 4 years with a PhD, or equivalent work experience.
- Proficiency in C++ and experience developing or integrating real-time or latency-sensitive systems.
- Proficiency in Linux-based development, embedded systems, shell scripting, and system diagnostics.
- Familiarity with middleware, publish-subscribe, or IPC frameworks used in autonomy or robotics systems, such as DDS and message buses.
- Hands-on experience supporting demonstrations, exercises, or field and mission tests for unmanned or autonomous systems.
- Experience with autonomy simulation environments for testing and validation.
- Experience leading a small technical team or owning a major capability from design through field delivery.
- Experience mentoring engineers and growing technical talent.
- Experience authoring or negotiating interface contracts or ICDs with internal or external stakeholders.
- Ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance across the full stack.
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
- Preferred qualifications include Python, unmanned-system field-test experience, customer- or partner-facing technical relationship ownership, autonomy or motion-planning experience, vehicle electronics and payload-computer integration, hardware-in-the-loop debugging, container orchestration, PX4 or ArduPilot, automation tools, Conan, CMake, C2 standards, and AFSIM or NGTS.
Benefits
- Full-time regular 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 10–20% travel to office locations, customer sites, and integration or test events.
- 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.