Staff Software Engineer, GCS - Full Stack (R5192)

Shield AI•Washington, DC

7h•$150,000 - $230,000

About The Position

The Ground Control Station (GCS) and Command & Control (C2) Software team builds the mission planning, command & control, and post-mission debrief systems that enable operators to seamlessly manage complex, multi-domain unmanned missions. We combine modern map-centric interfaces, web technologies, and robust backend services to deliver a world-class operator experience across air, maritime, space, and effects/expendables. In this role, you will focus on building modern, web-based GCS applications, advanced mission planners, post-mission debrief utilities, and general C2 interfaces. You will work across a modern, full-stack ecosystem (utilizing frontend web frameworks, responsive mapping libraries, and robust backend services) to translate autonomous platform capabilities into intuitive, low-latency, and highly reliable control systems. In this role, you will design and develop major GCS features, mentor mid-level engineers, and represent the GCS/C2 team directly to autonomy capability teams, flight operations, and external partners. It's a hands-on role for engineers who enjoy designing user-facing controls and mission-critical systems and want to see their code drive complex real-world operations.

Requirements

BS/MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
Experience with modern frontend frameworks (e.g., React, TypeScript) and building rich, interactive user experiences in responsive web-based applications.
Experience full-stack or building backend in C/C++, Python, TypeScript, or Go, including service orchestration, command/status interfaces, and data pipelines between UI, ground services, and vehicle-side components.
Deep familiarity with networked and distributed systems, including UDP/TCP transport, custom binary protocols, reliable messaging, pub-sub/IPC middleware, and serialization/IDL tooling.
Experience using AI-assisted development tools to accelerate software design, implementation, debugging, testing, and code review while maintaining strong engineering judgment, validation discipline, and ownership of final technical decisions.
Experience working with databases, including relational (e.g., PostgreSQL) or NoSQL databases, with preference for experience handling spatial/geographic data (e.g., PostGIS).
Demonstrated experience owning a major software capability or system from architecture through field delivery.
Track record of mentoring engineers and growing technical talent.
Experience authoring or negotiating interface contracts, API specifications (e.g., OpenAPI/Swagger), or ICDs with internal or external stakeholders.
Strong debugging and profiling skills, including diagnosing browser rendering bottlenecks, API latencies, and network connectivity issues.
Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

Nice To Haves

Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), web mapping libraries (e.g., Maplibre GL, Leaflet, CesiumJS, OpenLayers), and 2D/3D spatial data visualization.
Familiarity with video streaming protocols and multimedia frameworks in a web environment (e.g., WebRTC, HLS, RTSP-to-Web gateways, GStreamer, FFmpeg).
Experience developing post-mission telemetry analysis, log parsing, or interactive web-based playback/debrief systems.
Experience with containerization and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes, k3d) and deploying C2 services to local, edge, or cloud environments.
Experience with platform control / autopilot protocols (e.g., MAVLink, STANAG 4586) or DoD C2 standards (e.g., A-GRA, UCI, OMS).
Experience working closely with flight operators, pilots, or military stakeholders to gather feedback and refine user workflows.
Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.

Responsibilities

Develop & Field Web-Based GCS/C2 Software: Design, develop, and optimize high-performance, responsive GCS software and C2 applications, utilizing modern web technologies (e.g., React, TypeScript, Node.js, Go) to build map-centric mission planning, real-time command & control, video streaming, and telemetry visualization interfaces.
Technical Leadership: Own technical direction for major GCS features and full-stack subsystems; architect frontend/backend architectures, design robust APIs, and lead technical decision-making within your project area.
Collaboration Across Teams: Act as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception team, flight operations, and external partners (platform integrators, C2 providers, and vehicle vendors); author and negotiate APIs, REST/WebSocket schemas, and interface contracts rather than just consume them.
Mentorship & Growth: Mentor mid-level engineers on the team; partner with managers on onboarding, leveling, and growth planning. Formally onboard senior new hires.
Design, UX, & Documentation: Drive design reviews, UI/UX prototyping, and API/ICD definitions; champion modern frontend and backend development practices, rigorous unit/integration testing, and developer/operator documentation to close process gaps that span teams.
Pre-deployment Preparation: Own the build, configuration, and validation process for mission-ready ground stations and C2 web servers; coordinate hardware/software compatibility, UI/UX readiness, and containerized release cadence.
On-site Test & Mission Support: Travel to test sites and support live mission operations (flight tests, range exercises, on-water trials, integration events), working closely with operators and pilots to gather feedback, debug live C2 systems, and troubleshoot web interfaces and network configurations under time-critical field constraints.
System Debugging & Performance Tuning: Diagnose and resolve integration issues across GCS/C2 stacks, radio links, and telemetry streams — including UI rendering bottlenecks, API latency, database query optimization, and network latency profiling under operationally-representative loads.
Mission Data & Debrief Support: Architect and implement post-mission debrief utilities and telemetry analysis tools that parse, play back, and visualize telemetry, logs, and payload data for rapid post-mission analysis and issue reproduction.
Continuous Improvement: Build tools and automation scripts to improve C2 deployment pipelines, test/mission reliability, and simulation-based operator testing.
C2 Interoperability & Standards: Own compliance and integration with command-and-control standards and architectures (e.g., A-GRA, UCI, OMS, STANAG 4586, MAVLink).
Hiring: Interview candidates, help define the skills bar for open roles in your area, and onboard new engineers into your sub-program.