Senior Staff RF Engineer – Autonomous Aircraft

About the role

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff RF Engineer to lead the RF effort for its next‑generation autonomous aircraft program. The role blends technical leadership, hands‑on engineering, and rapid decision‑making to move concepts into operational capability for defense‑focused missions.

Key responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership to the RF team for the next‑gen aircraft.
• Quantify and optimize RF link performance and resolve desense/interference issues.
• Define system‑level and unit‑level design requirements and features for all RF subsystems.
• Improve design, test, and compliance processes related to RF engineering.
• Develop test procedures, define requirements, and train operators/technicians.
• Contribute to team growth through hiring input and mentorship.
• Establish and enforce processes for design review, cross‑functional support, and regulatory compliance.
• Communicate RF status, risks, and plans to cross‑functional teams.

Required profile

• B.S. in Electrical Engineering or equivalent.
• 15+ years of industry experience in RF systems engineering.
• Proven ability to work on cross‑functional teams (EE, ME, software, manufacturing).
• Experience mentoring and guiding other engineers.
• Leadership of unit‑level and system‑level RF design projects.
• Demonstrated expertise in quantifying and improving RF sensitivity performance.

Required skills

• RF system design
• RF link performance quantification
• RF sensitivity optimization
• Design of unit‑level and system‑level RF hardware
• Test procedure development for RF
• Regulatory compliance for RF