# Staff Systems Engineer (R5982)

**Company**: Shield AI
**Location**: United States
**Work arrangement**: onsite
**Experience**: staff
**Job type**: Full Time Employee
**Salary**: USD 144,000-210,000 per-year-salary
**Category**: Engineering
**Industry**: Technology

**Apply**: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/920ddfc2-b289-4ca6-8d33-e10bfa7e575f?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_6f1b0d31-9f7

## Description

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

As a 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.

## Responsibilities

- Perform System Architecture & Design: Develop and refine the system architecture for the next gen UAS, ensuring seamless integration of avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensor payloads, and mission systems.

- Define and document system-level behavior, including modes, states, transitions, and fault responses.

- Support safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA) by defining behavior under fault conditions.

- Define and Manage System Requirements: Establish top-level requirements, decompose them into subsystems, and maintain traceability across the development lifecycle.

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

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

- Risk Management & Trade Studies: Conduct trade studies to evaluate design alternatives, assess technical risks, and ensure the best engineering solutions for mission effectiveness.

- Stakeholder & Customer Engagement: Work closely with DoD stakeholders, industry partners, and government agencies to align system capabilities with operational requirements.

- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with hardware, autonomy, software, propulsion, and flight operations teams to drive seamless system integration and rapid development cycles.

## Required Qualifications

- 8+ 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.

- Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with shifting priorities.

- Worked on developmental program from clean sheet to first flight.

- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.

## Preferred Qualifications

- 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).

## Benefits

- Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

## Skills

### Required
- systems engineering
- aerospace engineering
- autonomous aircraft systems
- MBSE
- SysML
- DOORS
- avionics integration
- autonomy-driven flight systems

### Nice to have
- AI-driven autonomy
- ISR
- EW
- sensor integration
- modular open system architectures
- Government Reference Architectures

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Source: [Apply at jobs.lever.co](https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/920ddfc2-b289-4ca6-8d33-e10bfa7e575f?utm_source=yubhub.co&utm_medium=jobs_feed&utm_campaign=apply)