Principal Engineer, State Estimation
Job description
About the role
Principal State Estimation Engineer
Shield AI seeks a Principal State Estimation Engineer to lead the creation of next-generation autonomy solutions. This role is central to advancing how our systems perceive and understand the world. You will architect the core perception capabilities for our vehicles, ensuring they operate safely and effectively anywhere in the world. The position demands deep technical insight and a commitment to translating advanced research into reliable, mission-critical software.
The role is based in Dallas, Texas, and is a full-time position. The expected compensation range is $185,000 to $230,000.
Your primary responsibility is to define the architecture for motion and spatial awareness on autonomous flying vehicles. You will design processing pipelines that are resilient to noise and remain accurate despite changing conditions. A core part of your work involves moving algorithms from theoretical concepts into robust fielded modules used by partners around the globe.
You will own the design of intake workflows that rigorously validate sensor metadata and prepare diverse data for subsequent processing stages. Building and maintaining core modules that fuse multiple sensor measurements into stable position and attitude estimates will be a central duty. You will review cross-team interfaces to guarantee that navigation components exchange clean and synchronized information, even under extreme operational stress.
Shipping updates to flight stacks will follow strict verification against both simulation environments and real-world flight tests. You will coordinate with partners to align data formats and timing assumptions across different hardware lines and development teams. Your focus will include implementing processing paths that handle complex dynamic scenarios while respecting strict compute and power limits. You will guide the integration of research prototypes, transforming them into hardened modules ready for demanding operational conditions. Documenting all assumptions and constraints is essential so that future teams can safely modify estimation behavior.
This position requires hands-on experience with state filters and localization methods within operational systems. Fluency in modern C++ and Python is mandatory for the implementation of navigation algorithms. A strong comfort with quaternion mathematics, error modeling, and uncertainty representation is required. You must have direct experience with IMU readings, vision features, or lidar within the context of motion estimation tasks.
A thorough understanding of real-time constraints and embedded resource limitations is necessary to ensure successful deployment. Experience with simulation tools used for testing navigation in complex scenarios is highly valued.
The technical stack includes C++, Python, ROS, Git, and Linux. Success in this role requires a proactive approach to problem-solving and collaboration with world-class engineers and researchers. You will play a key role in pushing the boundaries of UAV autonomy and situational awareness.
For more information about Shield AI and our mission, please visit www.shield.ai. You can also follow our updates on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Your primary responsibility is to define the architecture for motion and spatial awareness on autonomous flying vehicles. You will design processing pipelines that are resilient to noise and remain accurate despite changing conditions. A core part of your work involves moving algorithms from theoretical concepts into robust fielded modules used by partners around the globe. You will own the design of intake workflows that rigorously validate sensor metadata and prepare diverse data for subsequent processing stages. Building and maintaining core modules that fuse multiple sensor measurements into stable position and attitude estimates will be a central duty. You will review cross-team interfaces to guarantee that navigation components exchange clean and synchronized information, even under extreme operational stress.
Shipping updates to flight stacks will follow strict verification against both simulation environments and real-world flight tests. You will coordinate with partners to align data formats and timing assumptions across different hardware lines and development teams. Your focus will include implementing processing paths that handle complex dynamic scenarios while respecting strict compute and power limits. You will guide the integration of research prototypes, transforming them into hardened modules ready for demanding operational conditions. Documenting all assumptions and constraints is essential so that future teams can safely modify estimation behavior.
Key facts
What you'll do
- Meet the bar Nice to have
About the company
Shield AI, Inc. is an American aerospace and defense technology company based in San Diego, California. The company develops autonomous systems for military and commercial applications, focusing on AI-powered drones and aircraft.