# Senior Staff Systems Engineer (R4738)

**Company**: Shield AI
**Location**: San Diego, California / Boston, MA / United States / Dallas, Texas
**Work arrangement**: onsite
**Experience**: senior
**Job type**: full-time
**Salary**: $180,000 - $270,000 a year
**Category**: Engineering
**Industry**: Technology

**Apply**: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/0a7f0460-5035-4959-9713-80471fcae3c1
**Canonical**: https://yubhub.co/jobs/job_86c59a9d-6da

## Description

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

## Skills

### Required
- Systems engineering
- Aerospace systems engineering
- Autonomy
- Complex system integration
- Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE)
- DOORS
- SysML
- CAMEO
- Group 4 or Group 5 UAS
- Military aircraft
- Autonomous airborne platforms
- Flight testing
- System integration
- Performance validation
- DoD acquisition processes
- MIL-STDs
- FAA airworthiness certification
- Airborne system safety standards

### Nice to have
- AI-driven autonomy
- ISR
- EW
- Advanced sensor integration
- Modular open system architectures (MOSA)
- Government Reference Architectures (GRA)