Shield AI

Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration - Weapons (R5427)

Shield AI$163K — $244K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • BS/MS in relevant engineering field or equivalent experience
  • 5+ years of relevant experience in embedded systems or real-time software
  • Strong proficiency in C++ with experience integrating complex systems
  • Experience with Linux-based development environments
  • Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance

Responsibilities

  • Develop and integrate autonomy software for launched effects platforms
  • Drive technical execution and mentor team members in feature development
  • Collaborate with multiple teams to deliver integrated autonomy solutions
  • Contribute to design reviews and improve cross-team engineering processes
  • Prepare systems for deployment, ensuring hardware/software compatibility
  • Support on-site tests and troubleshoot systems during flight operations
  • Capture and analyze mission data to enhance future releases

Benefits

  • Career growth opportunities within a cutting-edge autonomy team
  • Hands-on learning with real-world applications in defense technology
  • Collaboration with a diverse team of engineers and industry partners
  • Opportunities for travel to customer sites and testing events
  • Access to a comprehensive benefits package including equity options
Full Job Description
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 develop and integrate autonomy capabilities for launched effects platforms, owning major features from design through operational deployment. You'll work closely with the Autonomy Capabilities and Perception teams, feature crews, autopilot vendors (e.g., PX4, ArduPilot), C2 providers, and customer partners to deliver mission-ready autonomy software. This is a hands-on role for engineers who enjoy solving challenging integration problems and seeing their software operate in demanding real-world environments. What You'll Do: Develop & Field Autonomy - Develop and integrate autonomy software solutions onto launched effects platforms, including payload computer bring-up, autopilot integration (e.g., PX4, ArduPilot), multi-agent coordination, and deployment to disconnected or air-gapped environments. Own major features from software-in-the-loop through live flight testing and operational deployment. Technical Leadership - Own major features or subsystems; drive technical execution, contribute to design decisions, mentor teammates, and help deliver complex autonomy capabilities. Collaboration Across Teams & Partners - Partner closely with the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team, feature crews, autopilot vendors (e.g., PX4, ArduPilot), C2 providers, and customer/contractor partners to deliver integrated autonomy capabilities. Design & Documentation - Contribute to design reviews, ICDs, integration planning, and post-mortems while helping improve engineering rigor and cross-team execution. Pre-deployment Preparation - Build, configure, and validate mission-ready systems for Capability Releases and fleet-scale deployments; coordinate hardware/software compatibility, mission readiness, and release readiness across engineering teams. On-site Test & Mission Support - Travel to test sites, customer exercises, and live demonstrations to support flight operations, system bring-up, troubleshooting, and mission execution under operational timelines. Hardware/Software Debugging - Diagnose and resolve integration issues across autonomy software, payload computers, embedded systems, and platform interfaces using simulation, laboratory testing, and operational data. Mission Data & Debrief Support - Capture mission and test data, reproduce issues in simulation, and partner with autonomy capability owners to rapidly drive improvements into future releases. Continuous Improvement - Develop tools and processes that improve integration timelines, testing reliability, deployment efficiency, and mission readiness. C2 Interoperability & Standards - Implement and validate interfaces with C2 providers while supporting compliance with common message and open-systems standards (e.g., UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, TAK/CoT). Travel Requirement - Members of this team typically travel around 10-20% of the year to different office locations, customer sites, operator training events, flight tests, and integration exercises. Required Qualifications: • BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience. • Typically requires 5+ years of relevant experience (or equivalent advanced degree experience). • Strong proficiency in C++ and experience developing or integrating real-time or embedded systems. • Experience with Linux-based development and embedded systems. • Experience integrating complex software and hardware systems. • Experience supporting system integration, testing, or field events. • Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance. Preferred Qualifications: • Experience with launched effects, unmanned systems, or autonomous platforms. • Experience with PX4, ArduPilot, or comparable autopilot stacks. • Experience with multi-agent autonomy. • Python, Docker, CMake/Conan, or CI/CD experience. • Experience supporting military field exercises or defense customers. $163,200 - $244,800 a year #LI-ED1 #LC Full-time regular employee offer package: Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity Temporary employee offer package: Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment) Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

About Shield AI

Shield AI is a defense technology company that develops artificially intelligent systems for military applications. The company was founded in 2015 by Brandon Tseng, Ryan Tseng, and Andrew Reiter, and is headquartered in San Diego, California. Shield AI's products include autonomous drones and software that can be used for reconnaissance, surveillance, and other military operations. The company's mission is to reduce the number of military casualties by providing soldiers with better intelligence and situational awareness. Shield AI has received funding from a number of investors, including Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund.
Learn more about Shield AI
Size
200 employees
Industry
Founded
2015

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