The Aircraft Simulation team turns frontier autonomy into mission-ready aircraft. We own the commit-to-flight pipeline—deterministic aircraft and mission simulation, HITL/SITL integration, CI/CD, and tooling for automated flight qualification testing. Our goal is simple: make AI fly—safely, reliably, and fast.
As a Staff Modeling & Simulation Engineer, you will be dedicated to Shield AI’s next-generation aircraft program, contributing to our emergent modeling & simulation tooling. You’ll design, build, and scale novel aircraft subsystem models, develop infrastructure that enables robust automated testing for our next generation XBAT product line, and conduct system performance analysis.
What you'll do:
- Develop models and infrastructure for the integrated simulation pipeline in C++.
- Design deterministic, high-performance simulation tools capable of faster-than-real-time execution for development, testing, and release.
- Implement test scenarios and write unit, system, and regression tests.
- Collaborate across autonomy, embedded, GNC, and test engineering to ensure the simulation mirrors real aircraft behavior and mission scenarios.
- Contribute to platform-agnostic simulation tooling to accelerate current and future aircraft design and development efforts.
- Perform verification and validation (V&V) analysis activities on modeling tools.
- Conduct system performance analysis and generate reports and visualizations.
- Utilize best practices in C++, simulation architecture, and performance engineering.
Required qualifications:
- BS or MS in Computer Science, Aerospace, Robotics, or related field.
- 7+ years of experience in simulation software development, with emphasis on modern C++ (C++17 or later) and performance optimization.
- Strong understanding of rigid-body dynamics, kinematics, aerodynamics, and sensor mechanics.
- Proven experience developing or integrating simulation systems for robotics, aerospace, and/or autonomous systems.
- Ability to debug complex build and runtime environments (CMake, package management, logging, and profiling tools).
- Experience with software testing tools (GTest, etc.)
- Experience with simulation V&V.
- Strong collaboration and communication skills across software, hardware, and systems disciplines.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Preferred qualifications:
- Grasp of real-time and deterministic software design, including multi-threading, synchronization, and memory management.
- Experience with DevOps-integrated simulation workflows, including CI/CD and automated hardware testing environments.
- Working knowledge of Python for data analysis, test automation, or simulation orchestration.
- Familiarity with aircraft and flight physics modeling.
Skills Required
- BS or MS in Computer Science, Aerospace, Robotics, or related field
- 7+ years of experience in simulation software development with modern C++ (C++17 or later) and performance optimization
- Strong understanding of rigid-body dynamics, kinematics, aerodynamics, and sensor mechanics
- Proven experience developing or integrating simulation systems for robotics, aerospace, and/or autonomous systems
- Ability to debug complex build and runtime environments (CMake, package management, logging, profiling tools)
- Experience with software testing tools (GTest or equivalent) and writing unit, system, and regression tests
- Experience with simulation verification and validation (V&V)
- Strong collaboration and communication skills across software, hardware, and systems disciplines
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside a mental‑health EAP. Site perks such as an onsite gym in DC and a gym discount in San Diego support a health‑focused offering.
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Retirement Support — Careers materials highlight a 401(k) with company match as part of the standard package. A Total Rewards overview emphasizes retirement features within a broader, transparent compensation view.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Compensation for in‑demand technical and senior go‑to‑market roles is described as competitive, with visible engineering ranges and top‑end packages. This points to meaningful upside tied to role, level, and scarce skills.
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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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
