Senior Staff Engineer – GCS & Communications Systems

About the role

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Engineer to lead the development, integration, and validation of ground control station (GCS) and communications architectures for advanced military aircraft and autonomous systems. The role directly influences mission effectiveness, command‑and‑control reliability, platform connectivity, and operational resiliency.

Key responsibilities

• Define GCS and communication system behaviors, operational workflows, and activity diagrams to ensure reliable command, control, telemetry, payload, and mission data exchange.
• Develop and integrate communication architectures including RF links, SATCOM, LOS/BLOS datalinks, networking infrastructure, antennas, encryption devices, and mission control interfaces.
• Lead cross‑functional integration between avionics, mission systems, networking, cybersecurity, software, and test teams to improve system interoperability and reduce integration risk.
• Support lab, field, and flight test activities to troubleshoot communication issues, validate network performance, and enhance operational resiliency.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Aerospace, Systems, Computer Engineering or a related technical field.
• Minimum of 10 years of experience in communications systems, networking, mission systems, or military aerospace integration.
• Experience with GCS architectures, datalinks, RF systems, and airborne communication systems.
• Familiarity with LOS/BLOS communications, SATCOM, IP networking, encryption technologies, and hardware/software integration environments.
• Strong systems‑engineering, troubleshooting, and cross‑functional communication skills.
• Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance (desired).

Required skills

• GCS architectures and datalinks.
• RF systems and SATCOM.
• LOS/BLOS communications and IP networking.
• Encryption technologies and hardware/software integration.
• Model‑based systems engineering tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler.
• Cybersecurity concepts and resilient communications in contested environments.