Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Emerging Domains
Shield AI· Defense tech· Jul 21, 2026 · 3mo agoPosted 98 days ago
Washington, D.C.
In office
Full-time
Staff
$195K–$293K
7+ years exp
Before you apply
Ghost Signal:
Open since July 21, 2026 — 98 days, and still accepting applications.
Job description
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai . Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn , X , Instagram , and YouTube .
The Autonomous Pilot Integration team for Emerging Domains builds autonomy solutions for new platforms and mission profiles outside Shield AI's established portfolios—including space (satellites, missile defense), maritime (USV and UUV integration), and contested logistics (unmanned helicopters and related autonomous resupply platforms). The team takes on short-term R&D and integration efforts—often standing up the first autonomy on a brand-new platform or mission—with the intent that successful efforts grow into larger, multi-year programs. We combine capabilities from the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team (e.g., ViDAR, ATR), and the HivemindSDK—selectively leveraging existing Shield AI autonomy solutions where they apply—to develop autonomy that runs on these new platforms. Our engineers write new autonomy code—such as mission behaviors, platform-specific control, multi-agent coordination, contingencies, and executive autonomy—and own it end-to-end from software-in-the-loop, to hardware-in-the-loop, to vehicle-in-the-loop, to live test exercise.
In this role, you'll lead the technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities across Emerging Domains, helping establish first-of-their-kind autonomy solutions for new platforms and mission areas. You'll own challenging integration efforts, influence technical direction across multiple subsystems, and work closely with platform teams and cross-functional engineering organizations to transition early R&D efforts into scalable, operational capabilities.
What You'll Do:
Stand Up New Programs – Lead technical efforts to establish autonomy on new platforms, determining how best to leverage existing Shield AI capabilities while developing new platform-specific solutions.
Navigate Ambiguity & Shifting Priorities – Operate effectively as programs evolve, adapting technical plans, balancing competing priorities, and maintaining engineering momentum through changing customer and program requirements.
Develop & Field Autonomy – Lead development and integration of autonomy software across emerging-domain platforms, including platform interfaces, payload integration, mission autonomy, and operational deployment.
Technical Leadership – Lead feature crews or major integration efforts, mentor engineers, remove technical obstacles, and drive delivery of complex capabilities.
Platform Team Partnerships – Serve as a primary technical partner to platform engineering teams while coordinating interface evolution, hardware/software compatibility, and mission readiness.
Collaboration Across Teams & Partners – Coordinate closely with Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, feature crews, customer/program offices, and external partners to deliver integrated autonomy solutions.
Design & Documentation – Lead design reviews, architecture discussions, ICD development, and engineering improvements across multiple efforts.
Pre-deployment Preparation – Drive validation, release readiness, hardware/software integration, and mission preparation for operational deployments.
On-site Test & Mission Support – Provide technical leadership during live testing, demonstrations, and operational events across air, maritime, space, and emerging platforms.
Hardware/Software Debugging – Lead root-cause analysis across complex autonomy stacks, embedded systems, and platform interfaces.
Mission Data & Debrief Support – Drive post-mission analysis and coordinate engineering improvements based on operational results.
Continuous Improvement – Improve engineering processes, testing infrastructure, integration workflows, and deployment efficiency.
C2 Interoperability & Standards – Drive implementation of command-and-control interfaces and interoperability standards appropriate for each platform.
Travel Requirement – Members of this team typically travel around 10–20% of the year to different office locations, customer sites, operator training events, flight tests, and integration exercises.
Required Qualifications:
BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience. Typically requires 7+ years of relevant experience.
Expert C++ and Linux development experience.
Experience leading complex autonomy or systems integration efforts.
Experience influencing technical direction across engineering teams.
Experience operating successfully in ambiguous or rapidly evolving technical environments.
Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience standing up autonomy on new platforms.
Experience with autonomous aircraft, maritime, or space systems.
Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.
Experience with military test events or customer deployments.
Experience with UCI, OMS, STANAG 4586, or comparable interoperability standards.
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Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
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