Senior Manager, Software Test and Automation (R6080)

The role

You will lead software test and verification for autonomy, mission and avionics software on Shield AI's next-generation aircraft systems. You will build automated test infrastructure and run flight test and software release campaigns for the VBAT platform.

What you will do

• Build a world class software and system test infrastructure for rapid software deployments
• Own end-to-end system test strategy for software-in-the-loop (SIL), hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) and vehicle-in-the-loop (VIL) environments, scaled for continuous integration and rapid release cycles
• Design and implement mission-critical system test cases for autonomous behaviors, requirements compliance and operational edge cases, including nominal, safety-critical and degraded conditions
• Coordinate and execute flight test and software release campaigns with autonomy, embedded systems, flight ops and safety engineering teams

Required qualifications

• BS or MS in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics or a related field
• 8+ years of experience in software testing, systems testing, or verification and validation for complex, safety-critical or mission-critical systems
• 3+ years of experience leading teams, including some experience managing other managers
• Strong proficiency in test automation, scripting, data analysis and test infrastructure development
• Hands-on experience building and maintaining automated test frameworks (SIL, HIL, VIL, CI/CD pipelines)
• Experience validating autonomous behaviors or distributed real-time systems
• Deep understanding of software verification methods, including requirements traceability, test planning and regression testing
• Experience with hardware-in-the-loop testbeds, embedded systems or avionics integration
• Ability to design system-level test cases, including edge cases, degraded modes and safety-critical scenarios
• Strong ability to work cross-functionally with autonomy, avionics, embedded and flight ops teams
• Excellent communication and documentation skills, especially for test plans, procedures and safety considerations

Nice to have

• Experience testing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), rotorcraft or airborne mission systems
• Knowledge of DO-178C, MIL-STD-882, STANAG or other safety and airworthiness frameworks
• Experience with simulation tools (Gazebo, Isaac, ROS/ROS2 simulation, custom autonomy sims)
• Experience with continuous integration systems (Jenkins, GitLab CI, Buildkite)
• Knowledge of autonomy algorithms (navigation, planning, perception) sufficient to design adversarial or mission-based test scenarios
• Comfort operating in dynamic R&D environments where rapid iteration and tight feedback loops are the norm

Benefits

• Full-time regular employees: bonus, benefits and equity, in addition to pay within the listed range
• Temporary employees: temporary benefits package, applicable after 60 days of employment

Before you apply

• All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits
• Salary depends on skill set, experience level, licenses and certifications, and work location

About the company

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company that builds intelligent systems to protect service members and civilians. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation technologies.