Principal Engineer, Software Architect (R4562)

The role

Lead the software architecture for Shield AI's XBAT program across mission, vehicle, and autonomy software. Build a safe, secure, and scalable architecture for high-assurance, cyber-relevant software for an airborne system and its ground stations. Report to the XBAT Software Lead.

What you will do

• Define and evolve the system-wide software architecture for XBAT across airborne vehicle, ground station, and autonomy layers.
• Translate safety and security goals into technical requirements, standards, and design patterns.
• Ensure architecture supports safety-critical and cyber-relevant workflows, including traceability and compliance pathways.
• Drive cross-team alignment on APIs, data flows, fault handling, verification strategy, and risk management.
• Partner with engineering leadership, system architects, and validation teams to balance speed with assurance.
• Set technical direction for scalability, modularity, maintainability, testability, and future certification needs.
• Mentor senior engineers and architects on design rigor, documentation, and architectural judgment.
• Produce and maintain architecture artifacts such as system diagrams, interfaces, data models, risk analyses, and design rationales.
• Lead technical reviews for major features, changes, and integration points.
• Define architecture governance, including decision records, change control, and quality gates.

Required qualifications

• Deep expertise in software architecture for complex, multi-domain systems, ideally in aerospace, defense, autonomous systems, or similar safety-critical fields.
• Proven track record designing and delivering production software that meets stringent safety, security, or mission assurance requirements.
• Strong systems thinking across performance, latency, reliability, testability, and certification or compliance tradeoffs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication to convey architecture vision and rationale.
• Experience driving architecture adoption and discipline across multiple teams.
• Bachelor's or advanced degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Aerospace, or a closely related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Ability to obtain an S//SAR level security clearance.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with aerospace software assurance frameworks or standards for high-assurance airborne software.
• Experience working on or integrating autonomy, mission planning, or AI-enabled software into real-world systems.
• Strong understanding of cyber hardening and secure design for networked vehicle systems and ground infrastructure.
• Prior leadership or mentor role building and scaling architecture practices.
• Experience with constrained platforms: real-time requirements, limited compute, or avionics-style integration.
• Hands-on experience in VTOL or other advanced aircraft programs, or programs requiring austere, long-range, or resilient autonomy operations.
• Exposure to the product lifecycle from concept through flight test or operational deployment.
• Practical knowledge of tooling for traceability, CI/CD, automated verification, static analysis, or high-assurance pipelines.
• Comfort in a collaborative, fast-paced environment where requirements evolve quickly.

Benefits

• Equity for full-time regular employees
• Bonus for full-time regular employees
• Benefits package for full-time regular employees
• 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.
• Ability to obtain an S//SAR level security clearance is desired.
• Pay depends on factors including skill set, experience, licenses and certifications, and work location.

About the company

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