Shield AI
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities (R4587)
San Mateo, California · Senior Staff · Full-time · Posted Sep 23, 2026
- Experience
- Typically 10 years with a Bachelor’s degree; 9 years with a Master’s degree; 7 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
- Education
- BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree, or equivalent practical experience.
About the job
Designs and integrates tactical autonomy capabilities for unmanned systems, including planning, decision-making, behavior execution, and multi-agent coordination.
What you'll do
- Design, implement, test, and deploy autonomy algorithms and behavior architectures on real-world platforms.
- Collaborate with perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight-test teams; analyze mission data to improve performance.
- Research and prototype algorithms, contribute to autonomy roadmaps, and adapt solutions to program and customer needs.
What they ask for
- Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a similar field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Proficiency in C++ and Python and familiarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS).
- Significant background in robotics autonomy, including motion planning, behavior modeling, decision-making, or autonomous system design; significant experience with unmanned systems, specifically in the air domain.
- Experience with simulation tools such as AFSIM or NGTS; ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
Nice to have
- Experience applying ML/RL techniques in autonomy pipelines.
- Background in collaborative behaviors, swarm robotics, or distributed decision-making.
Tools
C++, Python, RTOS, AFSIM, NGTS
AI focus
Combines classical autonomy with machine learning, including reinforcement learning, to develop robust, adaptive behavior.
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