Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Weapons (R5400)

Shield AI•Washington, DC

1d•$195,200 - $292,800

About The Position

The Autonomous Pilot Integration team for launched effects builds autonomy solutions for small, often air- or ground-launched platforms that operate in multi-agent fleets and frequently in disconnected or air-gapped environments. We combine capabilities from the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team (e.g., track fusion), and the HivemindSDK to develop the autonomy software that runs on launched effects platforms, then integrate, validate, and field it on the real hardware—for U.S. and international defense customers. Our engineers write new autonomy code—such as mission behaviors, platform-specific control, multi-agent coordination, contingencies, and executive autonomy—and own it end-to-end from software-in-the-loop, to hardware-in-the-loop, to vehicle-in-the-loop, to live test exercise. In this role, you'll lead the technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities spanning platform integration, fleet operations, and operational deployment. You'll own some of the team's most challenging technical problems while driving technical direction across multiple subsystems and collaborating closely with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception, feature crews, autopilot vendors, C2 providers, and customer partners. You'll combine deep technical expertise with systems thinking to deliver scalable autonomy solutions for fleet-scale operations.

Requirements

BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience.
Typically requires 7+ years of relevant experience.
Expert C++ and Linux development experience.
Experience leading complex autonomy or embedded software integration efforts.
Experience influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams.
Experience supporting operational test events or customer deployments.
Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience with launched effects or distributed autonomous systems.
Experience integrating PX4, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot solutions.
Experience with fleet-scale autonomous operations.
Experience with disconnected or air-gapped deployments.
Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.
Experience with UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, or TAK/CoT.

Responsibilities

Lead the technical execution of major autonomy capabilities; drive technical direction, coordinate cross-functional execution, mentor engineers, and help deliver complex integration efforts.
Develop and integrate autonomy software solutions onto launched effects platforms, including autopilot integration, payload systems, executive autonomy, multi-agent coordination, and fleet-scale deployment to disconnected or air-gapped environments.
Serve as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception team, feature crews, autopilot vendors, C2 providers, and customer/contractor partners; influence interface definitions and coordinate integration across organizations.
Lead design reviews, contribute to architecture decisions and ICDs, improve engineering rigor, and establish repeatable integration practices across multiple efforts.
Drive mission readiness for Capability Releases and fleet-scale deployments by coordinating validation, release planning, hardware/software compatibility, and operational readiness.
Provide technical leadership during flight tests, customer demonstrations, range exercises, and operational deployments while troubleshooting complex issues under time-critical constraints.
Lead root-cause analysis across autonomy software, payload computers, embedded systems, networking, and platform interfaces using simulation, lab testing, and field data.
Analyze mission data, reproduce issues, coordinate corrective actions across engineering teams, and drive continuous improvements into future releases.
Build tools, automation, and engineering processes that improve deployment velocity, mission reliability, developer productivity, and integration efficiency.
Drive implementation of command-and-control interfaces and support compliance with open-systems standards while coordinating closely with external integration partners.