Shield AI

Director, Mission Systems

Posted 2 Days Ago

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2 Locations

In-Office

225K-340K Annually

Expert/Leader

Aerospace • Artificial Intelligence • Machine Learning • Robotics • Software

Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

The Role

Leads multidisciplinary mission-systems teams developing autonomous military aircraft capabilities. Establishes technical strategy, roadmaps, investments, and organizational priorities; oversees integrated architectures, operational analysis, modeling, simulation, trade studies, integration, testing, certification, flight test, fielding, and sustainment. Partners with engineering, program, product, customers, operators, suppliers, and government stakeholders while developing organizational talent and ensuring safety, airworthiness, cybersecurity, security, and certification compliance.

Summary Generated by Built In

Job Description
Are you a mission-driven engineering leader passionate about developing advanced autonomous aircraft? Do you want to help deliver capabilities that provide decisive advantage in contested environments? Shield AI may be the place for you.

Shield AI is seeking a Director of Mission Systems to lead multidisciplinary teams spanning operational analysis, aircraft survivability, communications, and integrated mission systems for our next-generation autonomous aircraft. This leader will establish the organization’s technical and business strategy, align investments and priorities with product and program objectives, and oversee execution from early concept development through integration, flight test, and fielding.

The ideal candidate has led a multidisciplinary organization supporting complex military aircraft or autonomous systems and brings strong business acumen alongside sound technical judgment. This individual need not be a subject-matter expert in every discipline but must understand how operational analysis, survivability, communications, payloads, avionics, autonomy, and weapons integration combine to drive mission effectiveness.

What You’ll Do

Lead and develop a multidisciplinary organization spanning operational analysis, survivability, communications, and integrated mission systems.
Establish clear priorities, accountability, organizational objectives, and operating rhythms that enable teams to execute effectively.
Define technical strategy, capability roadmaps, and investment priorities aligned with aircraft program objectives, customer requirements, and broader business goals.
Oversee the development of integrated mission-system architectures encompassing sensors, payloads, avionics, weapons, secure communications, autonomy, and aircraft survivability.
Direct modeling, simulation, wargaming, and system-of-systems analysis to evaluate mission effectiveness, operational performance, emerging threats, and aircraft design alternatives.
Lead cross-functional trade studies that balance mission capability, survivability, technical risk, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and program maturity.
Ensure disciplined execution from requirements definition and architecture development through hardware-in-the-loop testing, signature validation, flight test, certification, and fielding.
Partner with engineering, product, program management, business development, and aircraft leadership to deliver integrated and mission-relevant capabilities.
Engage DoD customers, operators, suppliers, and government stakeholders to shape requirements, refine concepts of operations, support key decisions, and communicate the operational value of Shield AI’s solutions.
Recruit, coach, and develop people managers and senior technical leaders while building organizational depth and succession capability.
Ensure compliance with applicable system-safety, airworthiness, cybersecurity, security, and certification requirements.

Required Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, mathematics, or another relevant technical discipline.
10+ years of experience supporting complex military aircraft, autonomous systems, or other aerospace and defense programs.
Demonstrated experience leading and developing a multidisciplinary engineering organization that includes people managers and senior technical leaders.
Broad working knowledge across multiple relevant disciplines, including mission systems, operational analysis, modeling and simulation, survivability, secure communications, avionics, sensors, payloads, or weapons integration.
Experience establishing organizational and technical strategies while managing technical, programmatic, and organizational risk.
Proven ability to balance mission performance and engineering requirements with cost, schedule, product maturity, and business priorities.
Experience overseeing complex aircraft capabilities across the product lifecycle—from requirements and architecture through integration, test, certification, fielding, and sustainment.
Executive-level communication skills with demonstrated success influencing customers, operators, business leaders, engineering teams, and government stakeholders.
U.S. citizenship with an active Secret security clearance and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance and required SAP/SAR accesses.

Preferred Qualifications

Master’s degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Leadership experience on military UAS, advanced autonomous aircraft, collaborative combat aircraft, or fifth-generation fighter programs involving integrated mission systems and survivability.
Demonstrated success advancing a product or major capability from customer shaping and early concept development through acquisition, integration, flight test, validation, and tactical deployment.
Experience overseeing multi-domain operational analysis, CONOPS development, force-on-force modeling, threat assessment, or survivability analysis in contested environments.
Working knowledge of model-based systems engineering and SysML, DoD acquisition and JCIDS processes, electronic warfare, low-observable communications, and AI-enabled sensors or payloads.
Experience developing modular, open-system mission architectures that support rapid capability insertion and third-party payload integration.
Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility and experience supporting classified DoD or Intelligence Community programs.

Skills Required

Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, mathematics, or another relevant technical discipline
10+ years of experience supporting complex military aircraft, autonomous systems, or aerospace and defense programs
Experience leading and developing multidisciplinary engineering organizations with people managers and senior technical leaders
Working knowledge across mission systems, operational analysis, modeling and simulation, survivability, secure communications, avionics, sensors, payloads, or weapons integration
Experience establishing organizational and technical strategies while managing technical, programmatic, and organizational risk
Ability to balance mission performance and engineering requirements with cost, schedule, product maturity, and business priorities
Experience overseeing complex aircraft capabilities across requirements, architecture, integration, testing, certification, fielding, and sustainment
Executive-level communication skills and experience influencing customers, operators, business leaders, engineering teams, and government stakeholders
U.S. citizenship
Active Secret security clearance
Ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance and required SAP/SAR accesses
Master's degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical discipline
Leadership experience on military UAS, advanced autonomous aircraft, collaborative combat aircraft, or fifth-generation fighter programs
Experience advancing products or major capabilities from customer shaping through acquisition, integration, flight test, validation, and tactical deployment
Experience with multi-domain operational analysis, CONOPS development, force-on-force modeling, threat assessment, or survivability analysis
Working knowledge of model-based systems engineering, SysML, DoD acquisition and JCIDS processes, electronic warfare, low-observable communications, or AI-enabled sensors and payloads
Experience developing modular open-system mission architectures supporting rapid capability insertion and third-party payload integration
Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility and experience supporting classified DoD or Intelligence Community programs

What the Team is Saying

Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights

Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage is described as excellent, with dental/vision and mental‑health support, and ancillary protections like life and disability appearing in benefit summaries. The breadth and perceived affordability of coverage are highlighted as a standout component of the package.
Parental & Family Support — Paid parental leave is featured alongside enhanced maternity benefits, fertility and childcare support, and onsite resources such as a Mother’s Room. These elements are positioned as competitive and above the minimal baseline for the company’s stage.
Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full‑time hires, with RSUs, double‑trigger tax timing, and tools to model scenarios (e.g., through Carta Tax). Communications also reference a transition from options to RSUs, reinforcing access and maturity of ownership programs.

Learn more about Shield AI's Compensation & Benefits →

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The Company

HQ: San Diego, CA

Year Founded: 2015

What We Do

At Shield AI, you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.

Why Work With Us

Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield AI builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.