Shield AI
Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (R5208)
Washington, D.C. · Staff · Full-time · Posted Sep 17, 2026
- Experience
- 7+ years of relevant experience.
- Education
- BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent experience.
About the job
Leads the integration, validation, and field deployment of autonomy software for V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, coordinating technical work across engineering teams and supporting customer missions.
What you'll do
- Lead autonomy capability delivery from architecture through field deployment, including integration of mission autonomy, payloads, flight-control interfaces, and multi-agent behaviors.
- Set integration and interface direction across teams; lead design reviews, contribute to ICDs, and mentor engineers.
- Drive release and mission readiness, including flight tests, customer demonstrations, deployments, and GCS/C2 interoperability.
What they ask for
- BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent experience.
- 7+ years of relevant experience.
- Expert C++ and Linux development experience; experience leading complex autonomy or embedded software integration efforts.
- Experience influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams and supporting operational test events or customer deployments; ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
Nice to have
- Experience with Group 3 UAS or VTOL aircraft, custom autopilot integration, EO/IR or ViDAR integration, or long-endurance ISR missions.
- Docker, ARM embedded systems, and CI/CD experience; experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.
Tools
C++, Linux, Docker, ARM embedded systems, CI/CD, HivemindSDK, GCS, C2
AI focus
Develops and integrates aircraft autonomy, including mission autonomy, motion planning, tactics, perception, and multi-agent behaviors.
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