The Autonomous Pilot Integration team for launched effects builds autonomy solutions for small, often air- or ground-launched platforms that operate in multi-agent fleets and frequently in disconnected or air-gapped environments. We combine capabilities from the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team (e.g., track fusion), and the HivemindSDK to develop the autonomy software that runs on launched effects platforms, then integrate, validate, and field it on the real hardware—for U.S. and international defense customers. Our engineers write new autonomy code—such as mission behaviors, platform-specific control, multi-agent coordination, contingencies, and executive autonomy—and own it end-to-end from software-in-the-loop, to hardware-in-the-loop, to vehicle-in-the-loop, to live test exercise.
In this role, you'll lead the technical delivery of complex autonomy capabilities spanning platform integration, fleet operations, and operational deployment. You'll own some of the team's most challenging technical problems while driving technical direction across multiple subsystems and collaborating closely with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception, feature crews, autopilot vendors, C2 providers, and customer partners. You'll combine deep technical expertise with systems thinking to deliver scalable autonomy solutions for fleet-scale operations.
What You'll Do:
Lead Technical Delivery – Lead the technical execution of major autonomy capabilities; drive technical direction, coordinate cross-functional execution, mentor engineers, and help deliver complex integration efforts.
Develop & Field Autonomy – Develop and integrate autonomy software solutions onto launched effects platforms, including autopilot integration, payload systems, executive autonomy, multi-agent coordination, and fleet-scale deployment to disconnected or air-gapped environments.
Collaboration Across Teams & Partners – Serve as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception team, feature crews, autopilot vendors, C2 providers, and customer/contractor partners; influence interface definitions and coordinate integration across organizations.
Design & Documentation – Lead design reviews, contribute to architecture decisions and ICDs, improve engineering rigor, and establish repeatable integration practices across multiple efforts.
Pre-deployment Preparation – Drive mission readiness for Capability Releases and fleet-scale deployments by coordinating validation, release planning, hardware/software compatibility, and operational readiness.
On-site Test & Mission Support – Provide technical leadership during flight tests, customer demonstrations, range exercises, and operational deployments while troubleshooting complex issues under time-critical constraints.
Hardware/Software Debugging – Lead root-cause analysis across autonomy software, payload computers, embedded systems, networking, and platform interfaces using simulation, lab testing, and field data.
Mission Data & Debrief Support – Analyze mission data, reproduce issues, coordinate corrective actions across engineering teams, and drive continuous improvements into future releases.
Continuous Improvement – Build tools, automation, and engineering processes that improve deployment velocity, mission reliability, developer productivity, and integration efficiency.
C2 Interoperability & Standards – Drive implementation of command-and-control interfaces and support compliance with open-systems standards while coordinating closely with external integration partners.
Travel Requirement – Members of this team typically travel around 10–20% of the year to different office locations, customer sites, operator training events, flight tests, and integration exercises.
Required Qualifications:
BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience.
Typically requires 7+ years of relevant experience.
Expert C++ and Linux development experience.
Experience leading complex autonomy or embedded software integration efforts.
Experience influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams.
Experience supporting operational test events or customer deployments.
Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience with launched effects or distributed autonomous systems.
Experience integrating PX4, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot solutions.
Experience with fleet-scale autonomous operations.
Experience with disconnected or air-gapped deployments.
Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives.
Experience with UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, or TAK/CoT.
Skills Required
- BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience
- Typically requires 7+ years of relevant experience
- Expert C++ development experience
- Expert Linux development experience
- Experience leading complex autonomy or embedded software integration efforts
- Experience influencing technical direction across multiple engineering teams
- Experience supporting operational test events or customer deployments
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance
- Experience with launched effects or distributed autonomous systems
- Experience integrating PX4, ArduPilot, or custom autopilot solutions
- Experience with fleet-scale autonomous operations
- Experience with disconnected or air-gapped deployments
- Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives
- Experience with UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, or TAK/CoT
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
Gallery
%203.jpg)
Shield AI Teams
.jpg)
Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
