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Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime (R5339)

Shield AI· Hivemind Solutions Division – Flight System Integration
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Boston, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., San Diego, California, Dallas, Texas$160k - $240kFull Time EmployeePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Senior engineer focused on developing autonomy capabilities for maritime platforms (USVs/UUVs/UAVs) enabling advanced single- and multi-agent teaming, with end-to-end ownership from design to deployment and mentoring of junior engineers.

Responsibilities

  • - Robust Motion Planning – Automate unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and/or unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) maneuvering through advanced motion planning and adherence to safety constraints including keep-out volumes, cooperative and uncooperative vehicles, and depth limitations
  • - Localization and Tracking – Employ cutting edge approaches for passive and active localization by defining fusion modalities, sensor requirements, and observability-aware maneuvering capabilities to maximize information gleaned from single- or multi-agent sensor networks
  • - Safe Maritime Operations – Keep vehicle safety as a central focus within autonomous behavior architectures to provide run-time assurance, ensure COLREGS adherence, and build operator trust in advanced mission autonomy
  • - Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Collaboration – Develop distributed optimization and task allocation approaches for heterogeneous teaming to accomplish mission objectives by maximally utilizing diverse capabilities of agents
  • - Rigorous Software Development – Develop high-performance software modules that are well-tested, have clear interfaces and span-of-control, and are ready for mid-to-high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) insertions
  • - Cross-Functional Collaboration – Collaborate with perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and operational test to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real-world platforms
  • - Deployment & Test Support – Deploy autonomy capabilities to real surface vehicles, supporting integration and demonstration events as well as analysis of mission logs to verify software performance and validate system operational effect
  • - R&D and Road-mapping – Contribute to autonomy roadmaps by researching and prototyping new algorithms, identifying tactical capability gaps, and proposing novel solutions
  • - Travel Requirement – Typical travel around 25% of the year to different office locations, customer sites, and flight integration events

Qualifications

  • - BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or similar degree, or equivalent practical experience
  • - Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 9 years and a Master’s degree; or 7 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience
  • - Proficiency in programming languages such as C++ and Python
  • - Significant background in robotic technology areas related to control systems, motion planning, optimization, tactical behaviors, and/or distributed decision-making
  • - Significant experience with unmanned system technologies and accompanying algorithms (ideally maritime domain)
  • - Experience with simulation tools and environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS, or similar) for testing and validation
  • - Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance
  • - Excellent communication and teamwork skills in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment
  • - Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance or higher

Skills

Required:Motion planningLocalization and trackingSafe maritime operationsDistributed optimization / task allocationSoftware development

Benefits

  • Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
  • Salary compensation influenced by factors including location, experience, and licenses
  • Equal opportunity employer with accommodation for disabilities
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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