Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Space (R5360)

The role

You will lead the technical direction for the space autonomy portfolio at Shield AI. You will build satellite and missile defense autonomy capabilities, from distributed optimization and task scheduling to motion planning, and mentor engineers across the organization.

What you will do

• Use advanced optimization for large-scale distributed decision making, task allocation and resource scheduling in multi-satellite missions
• Employ approaches for weapons target assignment and motion planning for space vehicles and interceptors
• Pioneer advanced topics in low-SWaP optimal control, tactical behavior management and information-aware planning
• Develop high-performance, well-tested software modules ready for mid-to-high TRL insertions
• Collaborate with perception, planning, simulation, hardware and flight test teams to integrate autonomy on real platforms
• Deploy autonomy capabilities to real space vehicles and analyze mission logs to verify performance
• Contribute to autonomy roadmaps by prototyping new algorithms and identifying capability gaps
• Lead technical direction for the portfolio and mentor engineers across the organization

Required qualifications

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering or similar, or equivalent practical experience
• Minimum 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; 9 years with a Master's degree; or 7 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience
• Proficiency in C++ and Python
• Familiarity with real-time operating systems (RTOS)
• Significant background in motion planning, behavior modeling, decision-making or autonomous system design
• Significant experience with unmanned system technologies and algorithms, ideally in the space domain
• Experience with simulation tools and environments such as AFSIM or NGTS
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance
• Excellent communication and teamwork skills in a multidisciplinary environment
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance

Nice to have

• Experience in multiple aerospace domains such as air, land, sea or 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

Benefits

• Full-time regular employees receive a bonus
• Full-time regular employees receive benefits
• Full-time regular employees receive equity
• Temporary employees receive a temporary benefits package after 60 days of employment

Before you apply

• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance is required
• All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits

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.