Senior Staff Systems Engineer (R4738)

As a Senior Staff Systems Engineer on Shield AI's next gen UAS program, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and integrating cutting-edge autonomous aircraft systems for national defense.

This position requires a deep understanding of aerospace systems engineering, autonomy, and complex system integration. You will work cross-functionally with teams in hardware, software, autonomy, flight operations, and manufacturing to develop a scalable, mission-ready platform capable of operating in contested environments.

Key responsibilities include:

• Performing system architecture & design: Developing and refining the system architecture for the next gen UAS, ensuring seamless integration of avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensor payloads, and mission systems.

• Defining and documenting system-level behavior, including modes, states, transitions, and fault responses.

• Supporting safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA) by defining behavior under fault conditions.

• Defining and managing system requirements: Establishing top-level requirements, decomposing them into subsystems, and maintaining traceability across the development lifecycle.

• Autonomy & AI integration: Working closely with autonomy and software teams to integrate AI-driven flight control, decision-making, and mission execution capabilities.

• Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE): Utilizing SysML, DOORS, or other MBSE tools to create digital system models, conduct trade studies, and optimize system performance.

• Risk management & trade studies: Conducting trade studies to evaluate design alternatives, assess technical risks, and ensure the best engineering solutions for mission effectiveness.

• Stakeholder & customer engagement: Working closely with DoD stakeholders, industry partners, and government agencies to align system capabilities with operational requirements.

• Cross-functional collaboration: Partnering with hardware, autonomy, software, propulsion, and flight operations teams to drive seamless system integration and rapid development cycles.

Required qualifications include:

• 10+ years of experience in systems engineering for aerospace, defense, or autonomous aircraft systems.

• Demonstrated experience defining system behavior logic and operational modes.

• Deep expertise in system architecture, avionics integration, and autonomy-driven flight systems.

• Proficiency in MBSE, DOORS, SysML, CAMEO, or similar system modeling tools for complex systems design and analysis.

• Experience with Group 4 or Group 5 UAS, military aircraft, or autonomous airborne platforms.

• Strong background in flight testing, system integration, and performance validation.

• Knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, MIL-STDs, FAA airworthiness certification, and airborne system safety standards.

• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive complex projects to successful completion.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Experience developing AI-driven autonomy for unmanned aircraft.

• Expertise in ISR, EW, and advanced sensor integration for airborne platforms.

• Familiarity with modular open system architectures (MOSA) and Government Reference Architectures (GRA) for defense applications.

• Prior experience working with defense primes, DoD stakeholders, or government R&D programs.

• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance (or ability to obtain one).

Salary: $180,000 - $270,000 a year