Shield AI
Senior Staff Engineer, Communications Systems (R5623)
$170K–$260K
Washington, D.C. +1 · On-site · Senior Staff · Full-time · Posted Oct 21, 2025
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
Dallas, Texas - Experience
- Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience in RF communications or mission systems integration for UAVs or military aircraft.
- Education
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or related field.
About the job
Leads the design, integration, and validation of secure communications systems for a next-generation autonomous aircraft.
What you'll do
- Develop and integrate aircraft data links, encryption, and communications architectures.
- Define and optimize RF, SATCOM, optical, and software-defined radio systems for reliable, low-latency communications.
- Validate systems through simulation, flight testing, and field deployments, coordinating with engineering teams and DoD stakeholders.
What they ask for
- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
- Strong expertise in RF systems, SATCOM, tactical data links (Link-16, CDL), and sensor integration.
- Proficiency in SDR technologies and secure, encrypted data transmission; experience specifying communications subsystems and architectures.
- Knowledge of aerospace data bus standards, experience with classified communication protocols and DoD compliance, and active Secret clearance.
Nice to have
- Experience with AI-enhanced signal processing and sensor fusion, low-observable communications, or electronic warfare and RF threat mitigation.
- DoD or intelligence community mission-operations experience; active Top Secret clearance or eligibility to achieve it, and SCI eligibility.
Pay
USD 170,000–260,000 per-year-salary (base salary)
Tools
RF, SATCOM, Link-16, CDL, SDR, MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429
AI focus
Develops AI-driven sensor-fusion algorithms to enhance payload performance; preferred experience includes AI-enhanced signal processing and sensor fusion for ISR missions.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative