Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities
Job description
Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities at Shield AI.
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with a clear mission: to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. The company builds the Hivemind autonomy software, the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and the Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region, Shield AI's technology actively supports operations around the world. This position is designed for an individual who enjoys solving the most complex problems across a portfolio of diverse domains and modalities. The ideal candidate applies classical autonomy techniques, algorithms, and theory to a variety of platforms across multiple tactical scenarios. The solutions you help build are integrated into real-world problems with near-term program impact. The company is committed to developing advanced autonomy for unmanned aircraft operating across all Department of Defense domains, including air, sea, and land. This full-time role is based in Washington, DC. In this senior staff role you will be expected to act as a technical leader, setting direction, mentoring others, and raising the bar for how autonomy problems are approached across programs. The work combines deep theory with the practical realities of fielded systems.
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Location: USA
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Engagement: Full-time Employee
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Compensation: Not listed
- Category: AI, Engineering, Operations, Support, Solutions
- Apply classical autonomy techniques and algorithms to diverse platforms.
- Develop autonomy capabilities that work across air, sea, and land domains.
- Solve complex problems spanning multiple tactical scenarios and modalities.
- Integrate algorithms into real-world systems with near-term program impact.
- Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams across multiple programs.
- Support field testing, integration, and operational use of autonomy software.
- Contribute to the architecture and design of autonomy systems.
- Validate and refine solutions in simulation and synthetic environments.
- Work directly with defense customers and program stakeholders.
- Document designs, results, and lessons learned for the wider team.
- Support the growth of less senior engineers through mentoring and code reviews.
- Deep experience in robotics, autonomy, or control systems engineering.
- Strong grounding in classical algorithms, theory, and their practical application.
- Proficiency in programming languages used in robotics and autonomy.
- Understanding of tactical requirements and operational environments.
- Ability to work across multiple platforms, domains, and modalities.
- Strong systems thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Comfort working with defense customers and program environments.
- Ability to travel to test sites and customer locations as needed.
- Experience with unmanned aircraft systems.
- Prior experience in the defense or aerospace industry.
- Familiarity with simulation and synthetic environments.
- Knowledge of machine learning applied to autonomous systems.
- Experience with flight testing or live demonstrations.
- C++ and Python
- Autonomy frameworks and middleware
- Simulation and synthetic environment tooling
- Systems integration and test equipment
- Version control and CI/CD pipelines
- Data analysis and visualization tools
- This is a full-time, onsite role in Washington, DC.
- The position may require travel to test facilities and customer sites.
- Work may involve export-controlled and classified programs.
- A security clearance or the ability to obtain one will be required.
- The team values rigorous engineering practice and documentation discipline.
- Contribute to autonomy software deployed on real unmanned aircraft.
- Work across air, sea, and land domains with near-term program impact.
- Solve complex tactical problems that protect service members and civilians.
- Integrate classical techniques into modern systems at scale.
- Work on a mission that directly protects service members and civilians.
- Operate at the frontier of defense autonomy technology.
- Engage with a diverse portfolio spanning multiple domains and modalities.
- Join a venture-backed company with global operations.
- See your work deployed in real-world, near-term operations.