# Senior Staff Engineer, Systems Test

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** Dallas, TX
**Role:** QA Engineering
**Salary:** $180k – $270k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** test automation, Python, C++, simulation, system verification, system validation, v-model, test planning, software development lifecycle, technical documentation
**Posted:** 2026-07-31

> Senior Staff Systems Test Engineer responsible for integration testing, verification and validation of full aircraft autonomy, flight controller, and GCS software. Requires 10+ years testing complex integrated systems, test automation (ideally with simulation), and strong SDLC knowledge for vehicle/autonomy systems.

## Job Description

## What you'll do

- Generate detailed mission test scenarios that mimic real-world conditions to validate the performance of autonomy and flight control software.
- Participate in design reviews for new features and design detailed test plans based on their requirements.
- Conduct and manage system verification and validation events, culminating in verified flight readiness.
- Write test analyzers in Python to report and benchmark performance and qualification metrics of the system.
- Produce test coverage and release-readiness reports by aggregating test cases, results, and quality requirements.
- Recommend improvements to our simulation models and fault injection so that we can keep pushing the capabilities of our test suite before proceeding to flight.

## Required qualifications

- 10+ years of work experience in testing complex integrated software systems.
- Demonstrated expertise & experience in test automation, minimally writing software to automate testing, preferably leveraging simulation for automated integration testing.
- Strong experience with the software product development lifecycle, ideally for autonomy or vehicle systems.
- Great understanding of system architecture, requirement derivation, and test planning across the V-model.
- Experience with automating test cases in an existing test framework.
- Experience producing high-quality technical documentation, including test plans, quality-assurance reports, and operational procedures.
- Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed expectations in a fast-paced environment.
- B.S., M.S, or PhD degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science or a related field.

## Preferred qualifications

- Experience with autonomous or robotic systems.
- Experience with simulation software and hardware emulation.
- Background in a fast-paced, R&D or startup environment.
- Proficiency in build test automation.
- Proficiency in Python or C++.

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