The Autonomy Capabilities Team develops functionality to automate single- and multi-agent teams of platforms in pursuit of mission objectives and acts as a central discipline-aligned focal-point for encouraging consistent usage of technical approaches across business portfolios. This team operates at all levels of the command-and-control hierarchy (from advanced control laws, through motion planning, and up to advanced tactical behaviors and multi-agent coordination) and across a multitude of mission sets, platform types, and operational domains (e.g., air, sea, space). The team puts a strong emphasis on both fundamentals (e.g., aircraft kinematics/dynamics, trajectory design, optimization, information fusion, efficient algorithms, etc.) and software integration skillsets (e.g. structures, protocols, threading, interface management, etc.) to bring market-differentiating capabilities to customers that seamlessly operate within their integration contexts.
This position is perfect for an individual who enjoys solving complex problems across a diverse set of programs and integration contexts. An ideal candidate is expected to address operational system needs through a multitude of advanced methodologies that blend traditional control system approaches with advanced optimization. Developed solutions are expected to be integrated into real-world platforms with near-term program impacts and rewards and so balancing theory with practice and rigorous implementation is paramount.
Focusing on the space portfolio, you’ll be creating autonomy capabilities for satellites and missile defense applications that span large-scale distributed optimization, automated tasking and scheduling, track fusion, RPO operations, and space vehicle motion/behavior planning. In many of these applications, you’ll have the opportunity to build capabilities from the ground up and be the first to integrate them onto new platforms. You’ll traditionally start with shorter-term R&D efforts or aligned customer programs but with the intent that successful efforts will grow into larger, multi-year programs. In many cases, the capabilities you will develop are at the cutting-edge and so demonstrating the ability to operate in grey space and at the intersection of the state-of-the-now and the state-of-the-possible is both exciting and crucial.
About the Job:
As a Senior Software Engineer, you’ll build and own autonomy behaviors that directly power our products, taking responsibility for key components from design through deployment. You’ll work across teams to turn complex mission needs into reliable, scalable software, balancing near-term delivery with long-term maintainability and performance. In this role, you’ll play a critical part in shaping how autonomy capabilities are designed, integrated, and evolved across our platforms.
What You'll Do:
Multi-Objective Optimization – Use advanced optimization strategies to perform large-scale distributed decision making, task allocation, and resource scheduling in multi-satellite coordinated missions
Weapons Target Assignment – Employ cutting edge approaches for weapons target assignment and motion planning for fleets of space vehicles and interceptors that have critical roles in our national defense
Advance the State of the Art – Pioneer advanced topics in low-SWaP optimal control, tactical behavior management in cooperative and adversarial contexts, and information-aware planning
Rigorous Software Development – Develop high-performance software modules that are well-tested, have clear interfaces and span-of-control, and are ready for mid-to-high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) insertions
Cross-Functional Collaboration – Collaborate with cross-functional teams including perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real-world platforms
Deployment & Test Support – Deploy autonomy capabilities to real space vehicles, supporting analysis of mission logs to verify software performance and validate system operational effect
R&D and Road-mapping – Contribute to autonomy roadmaps by researching and prototyping new algorithms, identifying tactical capability gaps, and proposing novel solutions that advance Shield AI’s mission
Travel Requirement – Members of this team typically travel around 10-15% of the year (to different office locations, customer sites, and flight integration events).
Required Qualifications:
Proficiency in programming languages such as C++ and Python, and familiarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS)
Significant background in one or several robotic technology areas related to control systems, motion planning, optimization, tactical behaviors, and/or distributed decision-making
Significant experience with unmanned system technologies and accompanying algorithms (ideally in the space domain specifically)
Experience with simulation tools and environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS, or similar) for testing and validation
Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance
Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment
Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance or higher
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in multiple aerospace domains (e.g., air, land, sea, space)
Experience across a breadth of methodologies from classical control through optimization and applied ML/RL
Background in collaborative behaviors and swarm robotics
Familiarity with domain-relevant DoD or government programs
Hands-on experience supporting integration events, customer demos, and/or live exercises
Skills Required
- Proficiency in C++ and Python
- Familiarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS)
- Significant background in control systems, motion planning, optimization, tactical behaviors, or distributed decision-making
- Significant experience with unmanned system technologies (ideally space domain)
- Experience with simulation tools/environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS) for testing and validation
- Strong problem-solving and system performance optimization skills
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance or higher
- Experience in multiple aerospace domains (air, land, sea, space)
- Experience across methodologies from classical control through optimization and applied ML/RL
- Background in collaborative behaviors and swarm robotics
- Familiarity with DoD or government programs
- Hands-on experience supporting integration events, customer demos, or live exercises
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support, with company materials describing excellent coverage. Feedback suggests these offerings are comprehensive and consistently highlighted across official and third-party benefit lists.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full-time hires, with RSU structures and tools like Carta Tax intended to improve understanding and tax timing. Feedback suggests this broad-based ownership approach is a notable component of total rewards.
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Parental & Family Support — Benefits include paid parental leave, fertility support, childcare benefits, family medical leave, and onsite resources such as a Mother's Room. Feedback suggests the family-oriented offerings are more expansive than basic coverage.
Shield AI Insights
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.
