# Senior Staff Engineer, Test Director (R5446)

**Company**: Shield AI
**Location**: Washington, DC
**Work arrangement**: onsite
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: Full Time Employee
**Salary**: USD 171,680-257,520 per-year-salary
**Category**: Engineering
**Industry**: Technology

**Apply**: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/fed8283f-3309-4e27-81e0-fe38b4e31487?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_6502098f-a8b

## Description

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

As a Senior Staff Flight Test Engineer / Test Director, you will serve as the end-to-end Test Director for the integration, verification, and flight test of Hivemind Mission Autonomy on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS).

## Responsibilities:

- Act as Test Director for system-level integration and flight test campaigns of Hivemind Mission Autonomy on UAS and external platforms

- Own test readiness decisions, including entry/exit criteria for lab, simulation, ground, and flight test phases

- Plan, direct, and execute fly–fix–fly test campaigns, ensuring rapid iteration while maintaining disciplined configuration control and safety

- Define and enforce test strategy, including system-level verification and validation, test phasing, and prioritization of objectives

- Direct cross-functional test execution, coordinating across various engineering disciplines and test operators

- Determine test infrastructure requirements, including SIL, HIL, simulation environments, flight test assets, and automated test pipelines

- Approve and oversee test procedures, test cards, and execution plans, serving as the final authority during test conduct

- Define performance metrics and success criteria, ensuring test data is actionable and traceable to requirements and mission outcomes

- Lead flight test risk assessments, hazard analyses, and mitigation planning; enforce safety-of-flight discipline during operations

- Serve as primary test interface to internal leadership, customers, and external stakeholders, providing clear reporting on test progress, results, and risks

- Establish test standards, SOPs, and best practices aligned with industry and DoD DT&E/OT&E expectations

- Document test results, anomalies, corrective actions, and lessons learned, driving continuous improvement across autonomy flight test efforts

- Support travel to test sites, customer events, and integration activities as required

- Perform other duties as assigned

## Required Qualifications:

- B.S. degree in a STEM discipline (Aerospace Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related field)

- 7+ years of experience in system integration and test, including SIL, HIL, simulation, and flight test environments

- Demonstrated experience leading test execution, including authority over test conduct, readiness, and risk decisions

- Strong background working cross-functionally with systems engineering, software, hardware, safety, and program management teams

- Highly organized and methodical, with the ability to manage complex, fast-paced test campaigns

- Strong written and verbal communication skills, including briefing technical status to leadership and customers

- Demonstrated integrity, accountability, and commitment to high standards while fostering a collaborative, respectful team environment

## Preferred Qualifications:

- Working knowledge of DoD DT&E and OT&E processes and documentation expectations

- Direct experience with UAS, autonomy, or robotic flight test operations

- Prior role as Test Director, Test Conductor, or Lead Flight Test Engineer

- Experience operating within DoD software and hardware laboratories or government flight test ranges

- Familiarity with safety-of-flight processes, hazard analysis, and configuration control in flight test environments

## Skills

### Required
- Aerospace Engineering
- Software Engineering
- Computer Engineering
- System Integration
- Flight Test
- Test Execution
- Risk Management
- Safety-of-Flight
- Configuration Control

### Nice to have
- DoD DT&E and OT&E
- UAS
- Autonomy
- Robotic Flight Test
- Test Director
- Lead Flight Test Engineer

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Source: [Apply at jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/fed8283f-3309-4e27-81e0-fe38b4e31487?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)