Systems Test Engineer II (Software & Simulation)

About the role

Shield AI, a defense-tech company developing autonomy software and aircraft, is hiring an Engineer II (Software & Simulation Focus) for its Hivemind Solutions Test Department in Washington, DC. The role leads simulation-driven testing, automation and software quality efforts, building and running test frameworks that validate the reliability, safety and performance of Hivemind autonomy software in both simulated and real-world mission environments.

Key responsibilities

• Develop automated regression, integration and system-level tests to ensure software quality and stability across releases
• Identify, reproduce and diagnose software issues, working with development teams to drive fixes
• Create and run test plans and documentation for autonomy software in simulated environments
• Design, implement and maintain simulation-based test frameworks
• Build Python tools to automate testing, data processing and analysis workflows
• Develop test harnesses and data validation tools for SIL, HIL and VIL environments
• Help define testing methodologies, metrics and performance benchmarks
• Support the scaling and reliability of simulation infrastructure
• Maintain detailed test documentation and help integrate test coverage into the CI/CD pipeline

Required profile

• Typically 2 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree, or 0 years with a Master's or PhD, or equivalent experience
• Ability to obtain and maintain a SECRET clearance; US citizenship is required
• Experience in robotics, small UAS or related hands-on engineering projects
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and debugging skills
• Willingness to learn quickly in a fast-paced environment

Required skills

• Proficiency in Python
• Preferred: C++, HIL/VIL test environments, machine learning or AI-driven autonomy systems, QA experience, aerospace or defense software background