Senior Staff Engineer, Mission Systems (R3929)

Shield AI•Washington, MN

73d•$170,000 - $250,000

About The Position

This senior staff engineer for mission systems will serve as a senior technical leader responsible for the end-to-end engineering of mission systems on advanced next-gen unmanned aircraft, including payloads, communications, avionics, weapons, and associated support systems. This individual will shape the technical direction of programs, ensuring that the aircraft deliver decisive mission capabilities through robust, integrated, and certifiable system designs. In this role, the engineer will drive mission system architectures, lead requirement development and allocation, and oversee system integration from concept through flight test and fielding. They will ensure that payloads, avionics, and weapons are seamlessly integrated into the aircraft while meeting mission performance, safety, airworthiness, and compliance objectives.

Requirements

B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field
8+ years of relevant aerospace/defense experience, with at least 5 years in mission systems integration
Demonstrated experience with aircraft payloads, avionics, and/or weapons integration
Demonstrated experience with line-of-sight and beyond line-of-sight aircraft communications systems and components
Working knowledge of Government modular open system approach (MOSA) standards to include open mission systems (OMS), Government Reference Architectures (GRA) or modular avionics standards
Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver complex systems to fielded capability
Strong knowledge of systems engineering processes and product development lifecycle
Familiarity with DO-178C/DO-254 certification requirements for software and hardware
Excellent communication skills and ability to brief technical findings to executives and customers
Active Secret clearance and have the ability to obtain a Top-Secret clearance

Nice To Haves

Master's or PhD in Aerospace, Systems, or Electrical Engineering
Hands-on experience with flight test operations and mission system validation
Direct experience integrating advanced sensors, autonomy, AI-enabled payloads, or guided weapons
Background in model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and SysML tools
Strong knowledge of current aircraft mission systems vendors and capabilities
Active DoD Top Secret clearance

Responsibilities

Lead system architecture and requirements development and integration for payloads, avionics, and weapons integration
Serve as a technical subject matter expert for mission systems engineering across the aircraft program
Drive trade studies and system-of-systems analysis to balance performance, cost, and schedule
Oversee integration and test campaigns, from bench-level hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) to flight test
Ensure compliance with MIL-HDBK-516C, DO-178C, DO-254, and related standards
Collaborate with program management to de-risk architectures and ensure technical maturity gates are met
Interface with customers, partners, and suppliers to align system requirements and certifications