Shield AI
Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (R5208)
Washington, DC · Staff+ · Part-time
No sponsorship$195k-$293kDetected 17 hours ago
C++DockerCI/CDLinuxRecruitingEmbedded SystemsLeadershipCommunicationMentoring
About the role
- You'll influence technical direction across multiple subsystems while partnering closely with the Aircraft team, Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, Strategic Systems (ACP), feature crews, and customer stakeholders.
Responsibilities
- Lead Technical Delivery - Lead the technical execution of complex autonomy capabilities from architecture through field deployment, coordinating work across multiple engineering teams.
- Develop & Field Autonomy - Drive integration of mission autonomy, payloads, flight-control interfaces, executive autonomy, and multi-agent behaviors onto V-BAT and X-BAT.
- Aircraft Team Partnership - Serve as a primary technical partner to the Aircraft team, defining integration approaches, resolving interface issues, and ensuring mission readiness.
- Cross-Team Technical Leadership - Partner across Aircraft, Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, Strategic Systems (ACP), and feature crews to solve complex systems integration challenges.
- Systems Architecture & Integration - Influence architecture, interface design, and integration strategy across multiple subsystems.
- Design & Engineering Excellence - Lead design reviews, contribute to ICDs, mentor engineers, and improve engineering rigor.
- Mission Readiness & Field Support - Drive release readiness while supporting flight tests, customer demonstrations, and operational deployments.
- C2 Interoperability & Standards - Drive implementation of GCS and C2 interfaces using common open-systems standards.
- With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations worldwide.
Requirements
- BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent experience.
- 7+ years of relevant experience.
- Expert C++ and Linux development experience.
- Experience leading complex autonomy or embedded software integration efforts.
- Experience influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams.
- Experience supporting operational test events or customer deployments.
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
Nice to have
- Experience with Group 3 UAS or VTOL aircraft.
- Experience with custom autopilot integration.
- EO/IR or ViDAR integration.
- Long-endurance ISR missions.
- Docker, ARM embedded systems, and CI/CD experience.
- Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.
- Full-time regular employee offer package:
- Temporary employee offer package:
Compensation
- Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location.
Benefits
- Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Company info
- Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
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This listing is sourced directly from Shield AI's careers page and normalized into a canonical job model.