Staff Engineer – Aircraft Trajectory Modeling

About the role

Shield AI is seeking a Staff Engineer to design, develop, and integrate a safety‑critical Run‑Time Assurance product for autonomous aircraft. You will lead applied trajectory prediction and aircraft‑response modeling within the Hivemind Foundations team.

Key responsibilities

• Lead development, tuning, and validation of trajectory prediction and recovery‑behavior models using aircraft performance data, wind effects, uncertainty bounds, and maneuver constraints.
• Build Python‑based analysis, simulation, HIL, and flight‑test workflows to compare predicted versus observed aircraft behavior, identify model gaps, and maintain regression datasets.
• Integrate and evaluate trajectory‑prediction behavior through autopilot interfaces, handling command modes, vehicle‑state inputs, latency, mode transitions, and telemetry analysis.
• Support hardware integration and flight‑test campaigns across platforms, evolving trajectory‑prediction and safety behaviors toward multi‑agent collaborative concepts, and contribute C/C++ implementation as needed.

Required profile

• Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years with a Master’s degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
• Deep experience in trajectory prediction, aircraft‑response modeling, aerospace simulation, robotics, applied autonomy, or GNC‑adjacent domains, including 3DOF and/or 6DOF aircraft modeling concepts.
• Expert‑level Python skills for algorithm development, numerical analysis, data processing, plotting, tuning workflows, and test automation.
• Working proficiency in C or C++, with the ability to read production code, debug algorithm behavior, write tests, make scoped implementation changes, and guide software engineers through algorithm intent.
• Demonstrated experience interfacing guidance, trajectory, or safety‑critical algorithms with off‑the‑shelf or custom autopilots and validating behavior through simulation, HIL, flight hardware, or flight‑test data.
• Ability to document model assumptions, handoff artifacts, and validation evidence while leading technical coordination across algorithms, software, systems, test, and platform teams.

Required skills

• Python
• C or C++
• Trajectory prediction and aircraft‑response modeling
• Simulation, HIL, and flight‑test data analysis
• Integration with autopilot or flight‑control APIs