Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5208)

This role is for a Staff Software Engineer on the Autonomous Pilot Integration team at Shield AI, a defense-tech company. You will develop and integrate autonomy software onto unmanned platforms (air, maritime, space, or effects/expendables), owning it end-to-end from simulation to live test exercises. You will also serve as a technical leader, leading a small feature crew or sub-program, mentoring mid-level engineers, and representing the team to capability teams and external partners. The role involves hands-on work with real hardware, including travel to test sites for mission support.

Responsibilities

• Develop & Field Autonomy — Develop & integrate autonomy software solutions onto unmanned platforms (air, maritime, space, or effects/expendables), including payload computer bring-up, container-based deployment (e.g., k3s/k3d), and configuration across onboard compute, sensors, and command-and-control interfaces — and lead a small team through the design, development, and delivery of a major capability or sub-program.
• Technical Leadership — Lead a small feature crew or sub-program; set technical direction, break down work, unblock the team, and report progress to leadership and stakeholders.
• Collaboration Across Teams — Act as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team, feature crews, and external partners (platform integrators, vehicle/autopilot control vendors, C2 providers); author and negotiate ICDs and interface contracts rather than just consume them
• Mentorship & Growth — Mentor mid-level engineers on the team; partner with managers on onboarding, leveling, and growth planning. Formally onboard senior new hires.
• Design & Documentation — Drive design reviews, ICDs, and post-mortems for your area; push the team toward higher rigor and close process gaps that span teams.
• Pre-deployment Preparation — Own the build, configuration, and validation process for mission-ready systems; coordinate hardware/software compatibility, mission readiness, and release cadence with capability and feature teams.
• On-site Test & Mission Support — Travel to test sites and support live mission operations (flight tests, range exercises, on-water trials, integration events), including safety checks, system bring-up, and troubleshooting under time-critical constraints.
• Hardware/Software Debugging — Diagnose and resolve integration issues across complex autonomy stacks, payload computers, and embedded systems in lab and field environments — including memory, CPU, and timing profiling under operationally-representative loads.
• Mission Data & Debrief Support — Capture mission and test data, reproduce issues in simulation, and partner with autonomy capability owners to drive fixes back into the next build.
• Continuous Improvement — Build tools and processes to improve integration timelines, test/mission reliability, and team efficiency across deployment cycles.
• C2 Interoperability & Standards — Own the interface contracts with C2 providers and drive standards compliance for your area, including implementation and validation against command-and-control standards (e.g., A-GRA, UCI, OMS).
• Hiring — Interview candidates, help define the skills bar for open roles in your area, and onboard new engineers into your sub-program.
• Travel Requirement – Members of this team typically travel around 10-20% of the year (to different office locations, customer sites, and integration/test events).

Requirements

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree, or equivalent practical experience
• Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 5 years and a Master’s degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
• Proficiency in C++, with experience developing or integrating real-time or latency-sensitive systems.
• Proficiency in Linux-based development and experience working with embedded systems, shell scripting, and system diagnostics.
• Familiarity with middleware, pub-sub, or IPC frameworks used in autonomy or robotics systems (e.g., DDS, message buses).
• Hands-on experience supporting demos, exercises, or field/mission tests for unmanned or autonomous systems.
• Experience with autonomy simulation environments for testing and validation.
• Demonstrated experience leading a small technical team or owning a major capability from design through field delivery.
• Track record of mentoring engineers and growing technical talent.
• Experience authoring or negotiating interface contracts / ICDs with internal or external stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance across the full stack.
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment.
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

Nice to have

• Direct experience supporting unmanned systems (air, maritime, space, ground, or effects/expendables) or similar field test campaigns.
• Proficiency in Python for scripting, automation, and analysis.
• Experience leading a feature crew, sub-program, or small team in an unmanned systems context.
• Experience owning customer- or partner-facing technical relationships (e.g., autopilot vendors, C2 providers, government program offices).
• Track record of cross-team improvements (process, rigor, documentation, or developer experience).
• Familiarity with autonomy stacks, motion planning, or vehicle-control integration.
• Competence in vehicle electronics bring-up (avionics, spacecraft buses, or vessel control), payload computer integration, or hardware-in-the-loop debugging.
• Experience with container orchestration (e.g., k3s, k3d, Docker) on embedded or payload compute.
• Familiarity with platform control / autopilot stacks (e.g., PX4, ArduPilot, spacecraft flight software, vessel autopilots).
• Proficiency in developing automation tools for system testing, logging, and data parsing.
• Build-system experience (e.g., Conan, CMake) and CI/CD pipeline familiarity.
• Comfortable interfacing with DoD stakeholders during field events or technical reviews.
• Experience with C2 standards such as A-GRA, UCI, or OMS.
• Familiarity with government-furnished simulation environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS) is a plus.

Benefits

• Full-time regular employee offer package:
• Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
• Temporary employee offer package:
• Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
• Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.