Ground Control Software (GCS) Engineer

Shield AI • Dallas, TX

63d • $125,000 - $225,000

About The Position

We’re looking for a Software Engineer to join our team developing next-generation Ground Control Station (GCS) applications for unmanned aerial systems (UAS). This role is ideal for engineers with a strong foundation in real-time, performance-sensitive software who also bring experience with modern web technologies. You’ll work on mission-critical software that bridges responsive user interfaces with robust backend systems, enabling human operators to plan, command, and monitor autonomous assets with precision and reliability.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree with 4+ years of relevant experience, or Masters with 3+ years, or PhD with 1+ year.
• Demonstrated experience building real-time or performance-sensitive applications—preferably for UAVs, robotics, autonomous vehicles, or simulation environments.
• Proficiency in a strongly typed programming language (e.g. C#, TypeScript, Java, C++) with exposure to lower-level systems or protocol integration.
• Experience with web technologies, especially React, TypeScript/JavaScript, and Node.js.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals including version control, testing, debugging, and performance profiling.
• Proven ability to deliver high-quality software as part of a collaborative engineering team.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with GCS software, mission planning tools, or real-time visualization platforms.
• Familiarity with API-driven systems using REST or gRPC, and communication protocols like WebSocket or custom telemetry formats.
• Knowledge of standards such as STANAG 4586, Cursor on Target (CoT), or MAVLink.
• Familiarity with containerized environments (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and CI/CD practices.
• Exposure to distributed systems and cloud integration for telemetry data pipelines.
• Understanding of security best practices in control systems and networked applications.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and optimize ground control software that enables low-latency communication with UAVs and other autonomous platforms.
• Build high-performance client and server applications that support telemetry processing, mission planning, and real-time control.
• Implement responsive user interfaces with React and TypeScript for operator workflows and visualization of spatial data, sensor feeds, and mission state.
• Collaborate closely with teams across autonomy, embedded systems, backend, and UX to deliver integrated, field-ready solutions.
• Contribute to architectural decisions and system designs that ensure responsiveness, scalability, and fault-tolerance.
• Lead development efforts on key features or subsystems, from early design through deployment and iteration.
• Write high-quality, well-tested code and participate in peer design/code reviews.

Benefits

• Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
• Temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Bachelor's degree
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees