We are seeking a Mission Engineer to own the mission representation of various programs, applying systems engineering, modeling, simulation, and operational analysis techniques to evaluate how Shield AI’s autonomous systems enable desired mission effects. This role is pivotal in analyzing mission architectures, system interactions, capability gaps, and performance drivers across multiple platforms and domains. You will work closely with engineering, product development, operational analysis, and defense stakeholders to translate mission needs into traceable autonomy requirements that inform design trade-offs, system requirements, technology priorities, and operational concepts.
This position requires a strong understanding of military operations, systems engineering, modeling & simulation (M&S), mission analysis, operational analysis techniques, requirements traceability, and model verification and validation techniques. Your work will directly shape Shield AI’s strategy and product development by connecting mission objectives and operational needs to system capabilities, architectures, and engineering decisions.
What you'll do:
- Employ the Mission Engineering process to develop pertinent analyses and assess how current and emerging autonomous capabilities enable desired mission effects in representative military scenarios.
- Utilize systems engineering tools (e.g., Cameo, Sysml 2.0) alongside modeling and simulation tools (AFSIM, STK, MATLAB, Python) to develop mission models, architectures, analytical frameworks, requirements, and traceability artifacts.
- Development of Mission Engineering artifacts such as mission threads, concepts of operations (CONOPS), and mission architectures for new AI-driven autonomous capabilities.
- Work closely with engineering teams and product managers to translate mission needs and operational insights into system requirements, design decisions, and capability improvements.
- Define trade studies and sensitivity analyses to identify key mission drivers, capability gaps, system dependencies, and performance thresholds under varying operational conditions and threats.
- Collaborate with DoD stakeholders, operators, and warfighters to characterize missions, define measures of effectiveness and performance, establish the data, modeling, and analysis required to assess them, and align system capabilities with operational needs.
- Develop and present technical reports, mission architectures, trade studies, and recommendations to senior leadership, customers, and government agencies.
- Leverage modern compute and development best practices (e.g., scalable cloud/HPC workflows, containerization, version control, CI/CD, and automated testing) to build, run, and iterate mission models and analysis pipelines quickly and reliably.
Required qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience in mission engineering, systems engineering, operational analysis, modeling & simulation (M&S) or a related discipline.
- Prior experience in mission-thread analysis, force-on-force analysis, capability-gap analysis, CONOPS development, or military campaign modeling.
- Proficiency with SysML or other systems engineering tools in conjunction with AFSIM, STK, MATLAB, or Python for aerospace and defense applications.
- Experience working with DoD stakeholders, warfighters, and government agencies to characterize mission needs and translate operational objectives into system capabilities, requirements, and engineering trades.
- Demonstrated ability to apply systems engineering, modern compute, data analysis, and software development best practices to build and maintain reliable models, simulations, and analytical workflows.
- Excellent communication and briefing skills, with experience presenting technical and operational analyses to senior leadership, customers, and military personnel.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with shifting priorities.
- Active Secret or Top-Secret clearance (or ability to obtain one).
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with model-based systems engineering (MBSE), digital engineering, and SysML 2.0.
- Familiarity with DoD Mission Engineering methodologies, systems-of-systems engineering, DoD acquisition processes and JCIDS.
- Experience integrating AI-driven decision-making algorithms or autonomous systems into mission engineering and operational analysis frameworks.
- Prior military service or experience working with U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Army, or Special Operations Forces.
Skills Required
- 5+ years of experience in mission engineering, systems engineering, operational analysis, modeling and simulation, or a related discipline
- Experience with mission-thread analysis, force-on-force analysis, capability-gap analysis, CONOPS development, or military campaign modeling
- Proficiency with SysML or other systems engineering tools and AFSIM, STK, MATLAB, or Python for aerospace and defense applications
- Experience working with DoD stakeholders, warfighters, and government agencies to characterize mission needs and translate operational objectives into capabilities, requirements, and engineering trades
- Ability to apply systems engineering, modern compute, data analysis, and software development practices to build and maintain models, simulations, and analytical workflows
- Excellent communication and briefing skills, including presenting technical and operational analyses to senior leadership, customers, and military personnel
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with shifting priorities
- Active Secret or Top Secret clearance, or ability to obtain one
- Experience with model-based systems engineering, digital engineering, and SysML 2.0
- Familiarity with DoD Mission Engineering methodologies, systems-of-systems engineering, DoD acquisition processes, and JCIDS
- Experience integrating AI-driven decision-making algorithms or autonomous systems into mission engineering and operational analysis frameworks
- Prior military service or experience working with the U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Army, or Special Operations Forces
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
