Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities (R5368)

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit [](https://shield.ai/). Follow Shield AI on [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai), [X](https://x.com/shieldaitech), [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/shield_ai), and [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@Shield_AI). The Autonomy Capabilities Team develops functionality to automate single- and multi-agent teams of platforms in pursuit of mission objectives and acts as a central discipline-aligned focal-point for encouraging consistent usage of technical approaches across business portfolios. This team operates at all levels of the command-and-control hierarchy (from advanced control laws, through motion planning, and up to advanced tactical behaviors and multi-agent coordination) and across a multitude of mission sets, platform types, and operational domains (e.g., air, sea, space). The team puts a strong emphasis on both fundamentals (e.g., aircraft kinematics/dynamics, trajectory design, optimization, information fusion, efficient algorithms, etc.) and software integration skillsets (e.g. structures, protocols, threading, interface management, etc.) to bring market-differentiating capabilities to customers that seamlessly operate within their integration contexts. This position is perfect for an individual who enjoys solving complex problems across a diverse set of programs and integration contexts. An ideal candidate is expected to address operational system needs through a multitude of advanced methodologies that blend traditional control system approaches with advanced optimization. Developed solutions are expected to be integrated into real-world platforms with near-term program impacts and rewards and so balancing theory with practice and rigorous implementation is paramount. ### What You'll Do: - **Tactical Autonomy Design** – Design tactical autonomy algorithms to enable unmanned aircraft to perform complex missions across air, land, and sea domains with minimal human supervision. - **High-Performance Software Development** – Develop high-performance software modules that incorporate planning, decision-making, and behavior execution strategies for dynamic and adversarial environments. - **Behavior Architecture Implementation** – Implement and test behavior architectures that enable multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability in contested scenarios. - **Hybrid Autonomy Integration** – Work at the intersection of classical autonomy and machine learning, blending rule-based systems with learning-based methods such as reinforcement learning to achieve robust, adaptive behavior. - **Cross-Functional Collaboration** – Collaborate with cross-functional teams including perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real-world platforms. - **Deployment & Field Testing** – Deploy autonomy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests and flight demos, validating performance in operationally relevant conditions. - **Mission Data Analysis** – Analyze mission logs and performance data to diagnose failures, optimize behavior models, and inform iterative development. - **R&D and Roadmapping** – Contribute to the autonomy roadmap by researching and prototyping new algorithms, identifying tactical capability gaps, and proposing novel solutions that advance Shield AI’s mission. - **Program Support & Adaptation** – Support defense-focused programs and customer needs by adapting autonomy solutions to evolving mission sets, compliance requirements, and operational feedback. - **Travel Requirement** – Members of this team typically travel around 10-15% of the year (to different office locations, customer sites, and flight integration events). ### Required Qualifications: - BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field - Proficient in production-level C++ software development - 7+ years' experience in one or more of the following: software sub-system scheduling and integration, behavior planning, task and resource allocation, motion planning, optimization, or flight controls - Experience with collaborative software development tools for version control, issue tracking, code reviews, and release management - Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, set technical direction, and manage full project lifecycles from concept to deployment - Capacity to learn and grow individually, while mentoring junior team members effectively, building team cohesion and capacity - Desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast paced, enthusiastic, and mission-centric environment - Capacity to act as the technical owner for an entire software system, including stakeholder engagement, requirements definition, roadmap management, team co-ordination, design, implementation, sustainment, and evolution - Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance ### Preferred Qualifications: - Experience across a breadth of technology readiness levels (TRLs) and demonstration of bridging concepts from research-grade to operationally ready - Experience with mission systems integration, and ideally, hands-on experience supporting integration events and/or flight demonstrations - Experience across a multitude of application areas, including but not limited to: - Collaborative mission planning, behavior planning, synchronized teaming - Automated red force vs blue force tactics - Motion planning across a variety of vehicle classes, kinematic constraints, and team compositions - Weapons target assignment, Sensor target pairing, sensor-centric control laws - Collision avoidance, geofencing, and safety-monitoring - Experience in more than one operational effect (e.g., strike, air combat, surveillance, reconnaissance, etc.) and more than one associated domain (e.g., air, space, maritime, ground, etc.) - Experience with FOSS software that is commonly used in robotic systems (e.g., ROS, OMPL, optimization solvers, etc.) - Experience with simulation tools and environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS) for testing and validation - Familiarity with practical aspects of navigation and communications systems - Experience across the product delivery lifecycle, from emerging opportunity through system acceptance, deployment, and sustainment - Familiarity with systems engineering methodologies - Familiarity with high-assurance software development processes (e.g., DO-178C or equivalent MIL-STD's)