Description
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company founded in 2015, with a mission to protect service members and civilians using intelligent systems. The company's products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft.
The Autonomous Pilot Integration team for launched effects builds autonomy solutions for small platforms that operate in multi-agent fleets and frequently in disconnected or air-gapped environments. The team combines capabilities from various departments to develop autonomy software, integrate it, validate it, and field it on real hardware for U.S. and international defense customers.
As a Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Weapons, you will lead the technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities spanning platform integration, fleet operations, and operational deployment. Your responsibilities will include:
- Leading technical delivery of major autonomy capabilities
- Developing and integrating autonomy software solutions onto launched effects platforms
- Collaborating across teams and partners
- Designing and documenting architecture and integration practices
- Driving mission readiness for capability releases and fleet-scale deployments
- Providing technical leadership during flight tests, customer demonstrations, and operational deployments
- Analyzing mission data and reproducing issues
- Building tools, automation, and engineering processes to improve deployment velocity and mission reliability
The role requires:
- BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience
- Typically 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
Preferred qualifications include:
- Experience with launched effects or distributed autonomous systems
- Experience integrating PX4, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot solutions
- Experience with fleet-scale autonomous operations
- Experience with disconnected or air-gapped deployments
- Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives
- Experience with UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, or TAK/CoT
The salary range for this position is USD 195,200-292,800 per year. Members of this team typically travel around 10–20% of the year.