# Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5402)

**Company**: Shield AI
**Location**: San Mateo, California
**Work arrangement**: onsite
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Salary**: USD 280,512-420,768 per-year-salary
**Category**: Engineering
**Industry**: Technology

**Apply**: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/bb87c070-f5bb-41ea-80e5-76e6f7f07a4e?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_31592f3f-075

## Description

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

The Autonomous Pilot Integration team builds autonomy solutions for a wide range of CONOPs and mission sets. As a Senior Staff Software Engineer, you will write new autonomy code, own it end-to-end, and partner closely with the Autonomy Capabilities and Perception teams.

## What You'll Do:

- Develop & Field Autonomy , Develop & integrate autonomy software solutions onto unmanned platforms, including payload computer bring-up, container-based deployment, and configuration across onboard compute, sensors, and command-and-control interfaces.

- Technical Strategy & Leadership , Set the technical direction across multiple programs, drive the autonomy reference implementation and common patterns, and anticipate where the stack needs to evolve.

- Collaboration & Cross-Engineering Influence , Build effective working relationships across engineering, represent the team to engineering leadership, customer/program offices, and standards bodies.

- Mentorship & Growth , Mentor senior engineers and other team leads, provide cross-functional mentorship, and help shape the leveling and career bar for the team.

- Design & Documentation , Drive cross-functional design reviews, architecture documents, and post-mortems, and publish content that informs decisions.

- Pre-deployment Preparation , Own the build, configuration, and validation process for mission-ready systems.

- On-site Test & Mission Support , Travel to test sites and support live mission operations.

- Hardware/Software Debugging , Diagnose and resolve integration issues across complex autonomy stacks.

- Mission Data & Debrief Support , Capture mission and test data, reproduce issues in simulation, and partner with autonomy capability owners.

- Continuous Improvement , Build tools and processes to improve integration timelines, test/mission reliability, and team efficiency.

- C2 Interoperability & Standards , Set the strategy for C2 interoperability, shape interface evolution, and own implementation and compliance.

- Hiring , Define the skills bar and hiring strategy for senior roles.

## Required Qualifications:

- BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree.

- Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience.

- Proficiency in C++.

- Experience with Linux-based development, embedded systems, and shell scripting.

- Familiarity with middleware, pub-sub, or IPC frameworks.

- Hands-on experience supporting demos, exercises, or field/mission tests.

- Experience with autonomy simulation environments.

- Demonstrated experience leading multiple teams or driving cross-program technical initiatives.

- Track record as the subject-matter expert sought across engineering.

- Track record of setting forward-looking technical strategy.

- Track record of mentoring senior engineers and team leads.

- Experience shaping architecture decisions, interface contracts, and standards.

- Strong problem-solving skills.

- Excellent communication and teamwork skills.

- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

## Preferred Qualifications:

- Direct experience supporting unmanned systems.

- Proficiency in Python.

- Experience leading multiple programs or driving cross-program technical initiatives.

- Experience interfacing with customers and external stakeholders.

- Track record of improvements that span the broader engineering organization.

- Familiarity with autonomy stacks, motion planning, or vehicle-control integration.

- Competence in vehicle electronics bring-up.

- Experience with container orchestration.

- Familiarity with platform control / autopilot stacks.

- Proficiency in developing automation tools.

- Build-system experience and CI/CD pipeline familiarity.

- Comfortable interfacing with DoD stakeholders.

- Experience with C2 standards.

## Skills

### Required
- C++
- Linux-based development
- embedded systems
- shell scripting
- middleware
- pub-sub
- IPC frameworks
- autonomy simulation environments
- leadership
- problem-solving
- communication
- teamwork

### Nice to have
- Python
- unmanned systems
- autonomy stacks
- motion planning
- vehicle-control integration
- container orchestration
- platform control / autopilot stacks
- automation tools
- build-system experience
- CI/CD pipeline familiarity
- DoD stakeholders
- C2 standards

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Source: [Apply at jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/bb87c070-f5bb-41ea-80e5-76e6f7f07a4e?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)