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Staff Engineer, Mission Systems (R5893)

Shield AI· X-BAT Division – X-BAT Engineering - MEG
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Hybrid (Seattle, WA / Washington, D.C. / Dallas, TX), Seattle, WA$180k - $260kFull Time EmployeePosted 1mo ago

About the role

Senior technical leader responsible for end-to-end engineering of mission systems on next-gen unmanned aircraft, including payloads, communications, avionics, weapons, and support systems; shapes technical direction, ensures robust, integrated, and certifiable designs delivering decisive mission capabilities.

Responsibilities

  • Lead system architecture and requirements development and integration for payloads, avionics, and weapons integration
  • Serve as a technical subject matter expert for mission systems engineering across the aircraft program
  • Drive trade studies and system-of-systems analysis to balance performance, cost, and schedule
  • Oversee integration and test campaigns, from bench-level hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) to flight test
  • Ensure compliance with MIL-HDBK-516C, DO-178C, DO-254, and related standards
  • Collaborate with program management to de-risk architectures and ensure technical maturity gates are met
  • Interface with customers, partners, and suppliers to align system requirements and certifications

Qualifications

  • B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field
  • Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of relevant Aerospace/defense experience, with at least 5 years in mission systems integration
  • Demonstrated experience with aircraft payloads, avionics, and/or weapons integration
  • Demonstrated experience with line-of-sight and beyond line-of-sight aircraft communications systems and components
  • Working knowledge of Government modular open system approach (MOSA) standards to include open mission systems (OMS), Government Reference Architectures (GRA) or modular avionics standards
  • Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver complex systems to fielded capability
  • Strong knowledge of systems engineering processes and product development lifecycle
  • Familiarity with DO-178C/DO-254 certification requirements for software and hardware
  • Excellent communication skills and ability to brief technical findings to executives and customers
  • Active Secret clearance and have the ability to obtain a Top-Secret clearance

Skills

Required:System architectureRequirements development and allocationSystem integrationHIL testing

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 is influenced by skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and location; contingent on cleared background
  • Military fellows and part-time employees are 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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