Shield AI
Staff Engineer, Aircraft Trajectory Modeling (R5787)
$200K–$300K
San Diego, California · On-site · Staff · Full-time · Posted Sep 26, 2026
- Experience
- Typically a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years with a Master’s degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree; Master’s degree or PhD alternatives are stated. Equivalent work experience is also accepted.
About the job
Leads development and validation of aircraft trajectory-prediction and recovery models for a safety-critical autonomy system, integrating them with autopilots and flight-test workflows.
What you'll do
- Develop, tune, and validate trajectory prediction and recovery-behavior models using aircraft data, simulations, and test evidence.
- Build Python analysis and testing workflows; compare predicted and observed aircraft behavior and maintain regression datasets.
- Integrate and evaluate autopilot interfaces, support hardware integration and flight tests, and contribute algorithm handoffs and scoped C/C++ work.
What they ask for
- Experience in trajectory prediction, aircraft-response modeling, aerospace simulation, robotics, applied autonomy, or GNC-adjacent domains, including 3DOF and/or 6DOF aircraft modeling concepts.
- Expert-level Python skills for algorithm development, numerical analysis, data processing, tuning, and test automation.
- Working proficiency in C or C++ for reading production code, debugging, testing, and scoped implementation.
- Experience interfacing guidance, trajectory, or safety-critical algorithms with autopilots and validating them through simulation, HIL, flight hardware, or flight-test data.
Nice to have
- Experience tuning trajectory or vehicle-response models from simulation, HIL, or flight-test telemetry.
- Experience with algorithm implementation or porting, Monte Carlo or regression testing, safety-critical development practices, or production software integration.
Pay
USD 200,000–300,000 (per-year-salary) — base salary
Tools
Python, C, C++, MATLAB/Simulink, CMake, Conan, Linux, CI/CD
AI focus
Supports resilient autonomy by developing aircraft trajectory prediction and recovery behaviors for a real-time safety capability.
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