Senior Staff Engineer, Weapons Integration - Ranger (R6323)

The role

This role leads the technical design and integration of weapons mission-critical subsystems for an advanced autonomous aircraft. The engineer acts as technical authority across mission computing, avionics, payloads, communications, and support systems, from concept through flight test and fielding.

What you will do

• Own architecture, requirements, and integration strategy across data storage, weapons, payloads, avionics, and aircraft systems.
• Serve as technical authority for weapons integration and lead complex trade studies.
• Define and guide integration and verification campaigns from lab and hardware-in-the-loop testing through flight test and fielding.
• Partner with safety, airworthiness, and certification teams on compliance, including MIL Standards.
• Lead multidisciplinary technical reviews and readiness assessments.
• Mentor engineers and set practices for requirements quality, interfaces, configuration control, and verification.

Required qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Electrical, Computer or Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 10 or more years of relevant aerospace or defense experience, including at least 5 years developing and integrating weapons or complex aircraft mission systems.
• Technical ownership of mission system architectures spanning mission computing, data storage, avionics, payloads, and communications, including line of sight and beyond line of sight systems.
• Experience translating operational needs into requirements, performance budgets, interface definitions, and hardware and software specifications.
• Strong knowledge of systems engineering practices, including requirements decomposition, trade studies, interface management, configuration control, and verification and validation.
• Experience applying Modular Open Systems Approach principles and frameworks such as Open Mission Systems, Government Reference Architectures, or modular avionics standards.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary technical teams and supplier engineering from architecture through fielding.
• Experience supporting safety and airworthiness compliance involving DO-178C and DO-254 objectives.
• Strong technical communication skills, presenting to engineering leaders, executives, and customers.
• Active U.S. Secret security clearance and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance.

Nice to have

• Master's or PhD in Aerospace, Systems, or Electrical Engineering.
• Hands-on experience with flight test operations and mission system validation.
• Direct experience integrating advanced sensors, autonomy, AI-enabled payloads, or guided weapons.
• Background in model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and SysML tools.
• Strong knowledge of current aircraft mission systems vendors and capabilities.
• Active DoD Top Secret clearance.

Benefits

• Bonus for full-time regular employees.
• Benefits package for full-time regular employees.
• Equity for full-time regular employees.
• Temporary benefits package for temporary employees, applicable after 60 days of employment.

Before you apply

• Offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check.
• Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits.
• An active U.S. Secret clearance is required, and the ability to obtain Top Secret clearance.

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.