Senior Manager, XBAT Test Engineering (R4282)

Shield AI•Dallas, TX

2d•$193,000 - $280,000

About The Position

As the Senior Manager of Software Testing, you will lead the verification and validation of autonomy, mission-oriented, avionics software for Shield AIâs next-gen aircraft systems. These platforms demand the highest levels of system integrity, operational reliability, and test rigor. Your role will center around designing scalable, automated test infrastructure, validating mission-critical behaviors across simulation and real aircraft environments, and enabling rapid, safe deployment of software to flight operations. Youâll partner closely with engineering, product, and flight test teams to ensure the system is testable, traceable, and always ready for mission. As the Senior Manager of Software Testing, you will be responsible system-level software testing and verification for Shield AIâs VBAT and XBAT platforms. This role focuses on accelerating software maturity and validation through rigorous, automated, and traceable testing practices.

Requirements

BS or MS in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, or related field
10+ years experience in software testing, systems testing, or verification & validation for complex, safety-critical or mission-critical systems (autonomy, aerospace, defense, robotics, UAVs, etc.)
Strong proficiency in test automation, scripting, data analysis, and test infrastructure development
Hands-on experience building and maintaining automated test frameworks (SIL, HIL, VIL, CI/CD pipelines)
Experience validating autonomous behaviors or distributed real-time systems
Deep understanding of software verification methodologies, including requirements traceability, test planning, and regression testing
Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testbeds, embedded systems, or avionics integration
Ability to design system-level test cases including edge cases, degraded modes, and safety-critical scenarios
Familiarity with flight testing or field testing of robotic / autonomous systems
Strong ability to work cross-functionally with autonomy, avionics, embedded, and flight ops teams
Excellent communication and documentation skills, especially around test plans, procedures, and safety considerations

Nice To Haves

Experience leading test teams or owning end-to-end test strategy for complex systems
Experience testing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), rotorcraft, or airborne mission systems
Knowledge of DO-178C, MIL-STD-882, STANAG, or other safety/airworthiness frameworks
Experience with simulation tools (Gazebo, Isaac, ROS/ROS2 simulation, custom autonomy sims, etc.)
Experience with continuous integration systems (Jenkins, GitLab CI, Buildkite, etc.)
Knowledge of autonomy algorithms (navigation, planning, perception) sufficient to design adversarial or mission-based test scenarios
Proficiency with telemetry analysis, log parsing, and flight-data-driven debugging
Experience supporting flight test campaigns, including readiness reviews, safety processes, and test execution
Experience in distributed systems, real-time OSes, or embedded Linux environments
Comfort operating in dynamic R&D environments where rapid iteration and tight feedback loops are the norm

Responsibilities

Build a world class software and system test infrastructure for rapid software deployments
Own end-to-end system test strategy for software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL), and vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) environmentsâscaling them for continuous integration and rapid release cycles.
Design and implement mission-critical system test cases validating autonomous behaviors, requirements compliance, and operational edge cases across nominal, safety-critical, and degraded conditions.
Coordinate and execute flight test and software release campaigns, working cross-functionally with autonomy, embedded systems, flight ops, and safety engineering teams.

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