What You'll Do
- Develop and enhance aeronautical physics models (aerodynamics, propulsion, environmental, structural, etc.) for use in simulation and evaluation.
- Translate theoretical models into efficient, reliable C++ implementations with a focus on numerical accuracy and performance.
- Validate models against real-world data and authoritative references, including field test data and calibration procedures.
- Collaborate with simulation and training application teams to ensure models integrate cleanly into operator-facing tools.
- Design automated validation and regression testing strategies for mathematical models to ensure fidelity across releases.
- Prototype and evaluate new modeling techniques (reduced-order models, uncertainty quantification, machine learning–based surrogates) to push the state of the art.
- Document assumptions, equations, and validation results so that both engineers and operators can trust model outputs.
Required Qualifications
- BS or higher in Aerospace Engineering, Applied Math, Physics, or related field with 1+ years of aerospace modeling experience.
- C++ foundation with experience implementing numerical methods.
- Demonstrated experience with aerospace models such as: Aerodynamics (lift/drag curves, stability derivatives, dynamic response), Atmosphere/environment (COESA, ICAO, gravity, wind models), Vehicle dynamics
Preferred Qualifications
- 1+ years of experience working on pilot/operator training systems.
- Experience with Eigen or SciPy for model prototyping and validation.
- Familiarity with state estimation sensor models (GPS, IMU, Gyro, etc) for simulation environments.
- Background in multi-body dynamics or flight mechanics
- Knowledge of uncertainty quantification and statistical analysis methods.
- Strong problem-solving mindset with a collaborative and detail-oriented approach.
- Familiarity with Python for test automation and data analysis pipelines.
- Passion for aerospace and autonomous vehicle systems.
What the Team is Saying
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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.
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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
