Software Engineer II, Autonomy Behaviors (R5202)

The role

You will implement and test tactical autonomy software that lets unmanned platforms carry out complex missions across air, land, sea and space. You will work with senior engineers to integrate software with sensor processing, communications and actuation.

What you will do

• Implement tactical autonomy software features for unmanned platforms across air, land, sea and space
• Develop and test behaviors for coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance and survivability in contested scenarios
• Take part in the software development lifecycle, including implementation, testing, debugging and verification and validation
• Collaborate with senior engineers to integrate software with sensor processing, communications and actuation
• Write clean, maintainable, well-tested code following engineering standards and team practices
• Support integration and testing across simulation and real-world environments
• Work with cross-functional teams to understand requirements and deliver features
• Keep building expertise in software engineering, autonomy and robotics systems
• Travel up to 20% to support testing, integration and partner collaboration

Required qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering or a related field
• Experience in production-level C++ software development
• 2-3 years of experience in software sub-system scheduling and integration, behavior planning, task and resource allocation, motion planning, optimization or flight controls
• Experience with collaborative development tools for version control, issue tracking, code reviews and release management
• Ability to contribute to design, development and integration of complex software systems in a multi-disciplinary team
• Problem-solving skills and ability to learn new technologies in a fast-paced environment
• Willingness to collaborate closely with teammates and support team objectives
• Interest in growing technical skills and, over time, guiding more junior engineers
• Desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast-paced, mission-driven environment
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance

Nice to have

• Exposure to systems at different technology readiness levels through academic, research or internship experience
• Experience delivering a military mission system
• Familiarity with mission systems integration concepts, testing or demonstrations
• Experience in motion planning, behavior planning or multi-agent coordination
• Exposure to autonomy, control or decision-making systems
• Safety mechanisms such as collision avoidance or constraint enforcement
• Familiarity with robotic software tools such as ROS, OMPL or similar
• Experience using simulation environments for development or testing
• Basic understanding of navigation and/or communications systems
• Awareness of the software or systems development lifecycle

Benefits

• Bonus
• Benefits
• Equity
• Temporary benefits package for temporary employees, applicable after 60 days of employment

Before you apply

• All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check
• Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance is required
• 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.