Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Emerging Domains (R5398)

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 launched effects builds autonomy solutions for small, often air- or ground-launched platforms that operate in multi-agent fleets and frequently in disconnected or air-gapped environments. We combine capabilities from the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team (e.g., track fusion), and the HivemindSDK to develop the autonomy software that runs on launched effects platforms, then integrate, validate, and field it on the real hardware—for U.S. and international defense customers. 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 spanning platform integration, fleet operations, and operational deployment. You'll own some of the team's most challenging technical problems while driving technical direction across multiple subsystems and collaborating closely with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception, feature crews, autopilot vendors, C2 providers, and customer partners. You'll combine deep technical expertise with systems thinking to deliver scalable autonomy solutions for fleet-scale operations.

What You'll Do:: Stand Up New Programs – Define the technical strategy for establishing autonomy on entirely new platforms and mission areas, determining what should be built, reused, or extended from existing Shield AI capabilities. Navigate Ambiguity & Shifting Priorities – Lead engineering through evolving customer needs, changing priorities, and uncertain technical landscapes while maintaining execution and long-term technical vision. Technical Strategy & Portfolio Leadership – Define long-term technical direction across Emerging Domains, establishing architecture, integration strategies, and engineering patterns that enable successful transition from R&D to operational programs. Develop & Field Autonomy – Guide development and deployment of autonomy capabilities across space, maritime, contested logistics, and future emerging platforms while ensuring successful operational delivery. Platform Team Partnerships – Build deep technical partnerships with platform organizations and influence interface evolution, integration strategy, and long-term platform architecture. Collaboration Across Teams & Partners – Influence architecture across Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, platform teams, engineering leadership, customer organizations, and external partners. Design & Documentation – Lead architecture reviews, engineering standards, ICDs, and technical best practices across multiple organizations. Pre-deployment Preparation – Guide release strategy, mission validation, and operational readiness across multiple emerging programs. On-site Test & Mission Support – Provide senior technical leadership during critical demonstrations, operational exercises, and customer events where deep systems expertise is required. Hardware/Software Debugging – Lead resolution of the organization's most challenging autonomy integration problems spanning software, hardware, embedded systems, and platform interfaces. Mission Data & Debrief Support – Drive organizational learning from o