Staff Mission Systems Engineer - Ranger (R6405)

Shield AI•Seattle, WA

3d•$185,000 - $280,000

About The Position

Shield AI is hiring a Staff Mission Systems Engineer to serve as a senior technical leader responsible for end-to-end engineering of mission systems on advanced next-generation unmanned aircraft. The role covers payloads, communications, avionics, weapons, and associated support systems, and helps shape program technical direction so aircraft deliver decisive mission capabilities through robust, integrated, and certifiable system designs. The engineer will drive mission-system architectures, lead requirements development and allocation, and oversee system integration from concept through flight test and fielding. They will ensure payloads, avionics, and weapons are integrated into the aircraft while meeting mission performance, safety, airworthiness, and compliance objectives. The position also involves technical leadership across the aircraft program, trade studies and system-of-systems analysis, integration and test oversight, standards compliance, and coordination with program management, customers, partners, and suppliers. Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-technology company focused on protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. The company has offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related field.
Typically at least 7 years of relevant aerospace or defense experience, including at least 5 years in mission systems integration.
Demonstrated experience integrating aircraft payloads, avionics, and/or weapons.
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, including Open Mission Systems (OMS), Government Reference Architectures (GRA), or modular avionics standards.
Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver complex systems to fielded capability.
Strong knowledge of systems engineering processes and the 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 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 Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

Lead system architecture, requirements development, and integration for payloads, avionics, and weapons.
Serve as a technical subject matter expert for mission systems engineering across the aircraft program.
Conduct 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) through 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.