Staff Software Engineer – Autonomous Pilot Integration (Emerging Domains)

About the role

Shield AI is a venture‑backed defense‑tech company developing autonomy software for aircraft, spacecraft and maritime platforms. The Autonomous Pilot Integration team for Emerging Domains creates first‑of‑its‑kind autonomy solutions for new platforms such as satellites, unmanned surface vessels and contested logistics helicopters. In this role you will lead technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities and own integration from software‑in‑the‑loop to live flight tests.

Key responsibilities

• Lead technical efforts to stand up autonomy on brand‑new platforms, deciding how to reuse existing Shield AI capabilities and where to develop platform‑specific solutions.
• Drive development, integration and fielding of autonomy software, including platform interfaces, payload integration, mission behaviors and multi‑agent coordination.
• Provide technical leadership across feature crews, mentor engineers and remove obstacles to ensure timely delivery.
• Partner with platform engineering teams to evolve interfaces, ensure hardware/software compatibility and achieve mission readiness.
• Coordinate with Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS and external partners to deliver integrated solutions.
• Lead design reviews, architecture discussions, ICD development and post‑mission analysis to continuously improve the autonomy stack.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant engineering discipline (or equivalent practical experience) with typically 7+ years of software engineering experience.
• Expert C++ development on Linux and proven experience leading complex autonomy or systems‑integration projects.
• Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across multiple engineering teams and operate in ambiguous, rapidly evolving environments.
• Eligibility to obtain a U.S. Secret security clearance.

Required skills

• C++
• Linux development
• Software‑in‑the‑loop, hardware‑in‑the‑loop and vehicle‑in‑the‑loop testing
• UCI, OMS and STANAG 4586 interoperability standards