Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities (R5368)

<div><span data-contrast="auto">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&nbsp;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&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://shield.ai/"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">www.shield.ai</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">. Follow Shield AI on&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/shield-ai"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">LinkedIn</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">,&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://x.com/shieldaitech"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">X</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">,&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/shield_ai"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">Instagram</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">, and&nbsp;</span><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://www.youtube.com/@Shield_AI"><span data-ccp-charstyle="Hyperlink">YouTube</span></a><span data-contrast="auto">.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;335559685&quot;:720}">&nbsp;</span></div><div><br></div><div> <p><span data-contrast="none">The Autonomy Capabilities Team develops functionality to automate single- and multi-agent teams of platforms in pursuit of mission objectives and acts as a central discipline-aligned focal-point for encouraging consistent usage of technical approaches across business portfolios. &nbsp;This team operates at all levels of the command-and-control hierarchy (from advanced control laws, through motion planning, and up to advanced tactical behaviors and multi-agent coordination) and across a multitude of mission sets, platform types, and operational domains (e.g., air, sea, space). &nbsp;The team puts a strong emphasis on both fundamentals (e.g., aircraft kinematics/dynamics, trajectory design, optimization, information fusion, efficient algorithms, etc.) and software integration skillsets (e.g. structures, protocols, threading, interface management, etc.) to bring market-differentiating capabilities to customers that seamlessly operate within their integration contexts.</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16185078,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}">&nbsp;</span></p> </div> <div> <p><span data-contrast="none">This position is perfect for an individual who enjoys solving complex problems across a diverse set of programs and integration contexts. An ideal candidate is expected to address operational system needs through a multitude of advanced methodologies that blend traditional control system approaches with advanced optimization. Developed solutions are expected to be integrated into real-world platforms with near-term program impacts and rewards and so balancing theory with practice and rigorous implementation is paramount.&nbsp;</span><span data-ccp-props="{&quot;134233117&quot;:false,&quot;134233118&quot;:false,&quot;335557856&quot;:16185078,&quot;335559738&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:0}">&nbsp;</span></p> </div><h3>What You'll Do: </h3><div> <li><strong>Tactical Autonomy Design</strong> – Design tactical autonomy algorithms to enable unmanned aircraft to perform complex missions across air, land, and sea domains with minimal human supervision.</li> <li><strong>High-Performance Software Development</strong> – Develop high-performance software modules that incorporate planning, decision-making, and behavior execution strategies for dynamic and adversarial environments.</li> <li><strong>Behavior Architecture Implementation</strong> – Implement and test behavior architectures that enable multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability in contested scenarios.</li> <li><strong>Hybrid Autonomy Integration</strong> – Work at the intersection of classical autonomy and machine learning, blending rule-based systems with learning-based methods such as reinforcement learning to achieve robust, adaptive behavior.</li> <li><strong>Cross-Functional Collaboration</strong> – Collaborate with cross-functional teams including perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real-world platforms.</li> <li><strong>Deployment &amp; Field Testing</strong> – Deploy autonomy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests and flight demos, validating performance in operationally relevant conditions.</li> <li><strong>Mission Data Analysis</strong> – Analyze mission logs and performance data to diagnose failures, optimize behavior models, and inform iterative development.</li> <li><strong>R&amp;D and Roadmapping</strong> – Contribute to the autonomy roadmap by researching and prototyping new algorithms, identifying tactical capability gaps, and proposing novel solutions that advance Shield AI’s mission.</li> <li><strong>Program Support &amp; Adaptation</strong> – Support defense-focused programs and customer needs by adapting autonomy solutions to evolving mission sets, compliance requirements, and operational feedback.</li> <li><strong>Travel Requirement</strong> – Members of this team typically travel around 10-15% of the year (to different office locations, customer sites, and flight integration events).</li> </div><h3>Required Qualifications: </h3><div> <li>BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field</li> <li>Proficient in production-level C++ software development</li> <li>7+ years' experience in one or more of the following: software sub-system scheduling and integration, behavior planning, task and resource allocation, motion planning, optimization, or flight controls</li> <li>Experience with collaborative software development tools for version control, issue tracking, code reviews, and release management</li> <li>Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, set technical direction, and manage full project lifecycles from concept to deployment</li> <li>Capacity to learn and grow individually, while mentoring junior team members effectively, building team cohesion and capacity</li> <li>Desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast paced, enthusiastic, and mission-centric environment</li> <li>Capacity to act as the technical owner for an entire software system, including stakeholder engagement, requirements definition, roadmap management, team co-ordination, design, implementation, sustainment, and evolution</li> <li>Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance</li> </div><h3>Preferred Qualifications: </h3><div> <li>Experience across a breadth of technology readiness levels (TRLs) and demonstration of bridging concepts from research-grade to operationally ready</li> <li>Experience with mission systems integration, and ideally, hands-on experience supporting integration events and/or flight demonstrations</li> <li>Experience across a multitude of application areas, including but not limited to:</li> <li>Collaborative mission planning, behavior planning, synchronized teaming</li> <li>Automated red force vs blue force tactics</li> <li>Motion planning across a variety of vehicle classes, kinematic constraints, and team compositions</li> <li>Weapons target assignment, Sensor target pairing, sensor-centric control laws</li> <li>Collision avoidance, geofencing, and safety-monitoring</li> <li>Experience in more than one operational effect (e.g., strike, air combat, surveillance, reconnaissance, etc.) and more than one associated domain (e.g., air, space, maritime, ground, etc.)</li> <li>Experience with FOSS software that is commonly used in robotic systems (e.g., ROS, OMPL, optimization solvers, etc.)</li> <li>Experience with simulation tools and environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS) for testing and validation</li> <li>Familiarity with practical aspects of navigation and communications systems</li> <li>Experience across the product delivery lifecycle, from emerging opportunity through system acceptance, deployment, and sustainment</li> <li>Familiarity with systems engineering methodologies</li> <li>Familiarity with high-assurance software development processes (e.g., DO-178C or equivalent MIL-STD's)</li> <div>&nbsp;</div> </div>