Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (r5208)

Shield AI Shield AI · Defense · Washington, DC +3 · Flight System Integration

Staff Software Engineer role focused on integrating autonomous pilot capabilities for defense aircraft (V-BAT, X-BAT). This involves platform integration, mission autonomy, and operational deployment, working with various AI and software subsystems to deliver solutions to defense customers. The role requires technical leadership, systems thinking, and mentoring.

What you'd actually do

  1. lead the technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities spanning platform integration, mission autonomy, and operational deployment
  2. own some of the team's most challenging technical problems—from defining flight-autonomy interfaces and integrating advanced payloads to driving mission readiness for customer releases
  3. influence technical direction across multiple subsystems while partnering closely with the Aircraft team, Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, Strategic Systems (ACP), feature crews, and customer stakeholders
  4. combine deep technical expertise with systems thinking to drive successful integration across software, hardware, and operations
  5. mentor engineers and improving engineering practices across the Expeditionary portfolio

Skills

Required

  • Software Engineering
  • Systems Engineering
  • Autonomy Software Development
  • Platform Integration
  • Mission Autonomy
  • Operational Deployment
  • Technical Leadership
  • Mentoring

Nice to have

  • Experience with V-BAT or X-BAT aircraft
  • Familiarity with motion planning, tactics, perception systems (ViDAR, ATR)
  • Experience with GCS or Strategic Systems (ACP)
  • Customer stakeholder management

What the JD emphasized

  • lead the technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities
  • own some of the team's most challenging technical problems
  • defining flight-autonomy interfaces
  • integrating advanced payloads
  • driving mission readiness for customer releases
  • influence technical direction
  • partnering closely with the Aircraft team, Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, Strategic Systems (ACP), feature crews, and customer stakeholders
  • combine deep technical expertise with systems thinking
  • drive successful integration across software, hardware, and operations
  • mentoring engineers
  • improving engineering practices

Other signals

  • integrates AI capabilities into real-world defense platforms
  • focuses on operational deployment and customer releases
  • leads technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities