Shield AI
Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime (R5325)
$221K–$331K
Washington, D.C. +3 · On-site · Staff · Full-time · Posted Aug 26, 2026
- Location
- Washington, D.C.
Boston, Massachusetts
San Diego, California
Dallas, Texas - Experience
- Typically a minimum of 7 years with a Bachelor’s degree; 6 years with a Master’s degree; 4 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
Leads the development and deployment of maritime autonomy capabilities for unmanned vehicles and cooperating teams, from technical design through integration and testing on real-world platforms.
What you'll do
- Lead technical delivery of autonomy capabilities for maritime motion planning, localization, safety, and multi-agent collaboration.
- Develop, test, integrate, and deploy high-performance autonomy software; support demonstrations and analyze mission logs.
- Shape technical approaches and roadmaps, and collaborate with customers and cross-functional teams.
What they ask for
- Degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or similar, or equivalent practical experience.
- Typically at least 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; 6 years with a Master’s; 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
- Proficiency in C++ and Python, and familiarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS).
- Significant robotics experience related to motion planning, behavior modeling, decision-making, or autonomous system design; ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
Nice to have
- Experience across multiple aerospace domains; methods spanning classical control through optimization and applied ML/RL.
- Background in collaborative behaviors or swarm robotics; familiarity with DoD or government programs; or hands-on integration, demos, or live exercises.
Pay
USD 220,800–331,200 (per-year-salary) (base salary)
Tools
C++, Python, RTOS, AFSIM, NGTS
AI focus
Develops autonomy algorithms for unmanned maritime vehicles and cooperating agents, including motion planning, localization, tracking, safety behaviors, and distributed task allocation.
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