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Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Behaviors (R4588)

Shield AI· Hivemind Solutions Division – Flight System Integration
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Hybrid (Boston, MA), Hybrid (Washington, DC), Hybrid (San Diego, CA)$195.2k - $292.8kFull Time EmployeePosted 5mo ago

About the role

Staff software engineering role focused on developing autonomous behaviors for unmanned platforms across air, land, sea, and space. Combines traditional control/system theory with advanced optimization to deliver scalable, reusable autonomy capabilities integrated into real-world vehicle platforms.

Responsibilities

  • Develop tactical autonomy software to enable unmanned platforms to perform complex missions across air, land, sea, and space domains with minimal human supervision
  • Implement and test behaviors that enable multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability in contested scenarios
  • Work throughout the entire software development lifecycle, from requirements capture through design, implementation, verification, and validation, utilizing tools and workflows consistent with collaborative high-quality software development
  • Champion a product-line mindset in technology road-mapping and to enable reuse of behaviors across multiple projects and portfolios
  • Utilize your software and systems expertise to architect behaviors as scalable software subsystems, that may interact directly or indirectly with a breadth of system components (e.g., sensor processing, state estimation, peer-to-peer communications, contingency management, actuation, and payload interfacing)
  • Leverage internal product and program-specific engineering teams to rapidly deliver state-of-the-art capabilities to vehicle platforms (whether internally and externally owned), with a clear path towards architecture and capability evolution over time
  • Collaborate with external teams, aligning on interfacing requirements between diverse systems, often working closely with vehicle integration teams and associated operational subject matter experts (e.g., fighter pilots, UAV operators, etc.)
  • Act as a subject matter expert for software engineering, representing software equities in a multi-stakeholder environment including engineering, business and sales leadership.
  • Travel to co-locate with end-users and/or other teams up to 20% of the time

Qualifications

  • BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
  • Proficient in production-level C++ software development
  • 7+ years' experience in one or more of the following: software sub-system scheduling and integration, behavior planning, task and resource allocation, motion planning, optimization, or flight controls
  • Experience with collaborative software development tools for version control, issue tracking, code reviews, and release management
  • Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, set technical direction, and manage full project lifecycles from concept to deployment
  • Capacity to learn and grow individually, while mentoring junior team members effectively, building team cohesion and capacity
  • Desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast paced, enthusiastic, and mission-centric environment
  • Capacity to act as the technical owner for an entire software system, including stakeholder engagement, requirements definition, roadmap management, team co-ordination, design, implementation, sustainment, and evolution
  • Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

Skills

Required:Software architecture and designC++ development

Benefits

  • 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 influenced by skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees not eligible for benefits
Last updated Oct 23, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About Shield AI

Autonomy for the world.

Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

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