# Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** Washington, DC, San Diego, CA, Boston, MA, Dallas, TX
**Role:** ML Engineering
**Salary:** $234k – $351k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** C++, Linux, autonomy architecture, multi-agent coordination, c2 interoperability, uci, oms, mosa, wosa, tak/cot, Embedded Systems, motion planning, track fusion
**Posted:** 2026-07-21

> Senior technical leader defining autonomy architecture and integration strategy for launched effects platforms in multi-agent, often disconnected environments. Owns end-to-end development, fielding, and operational support of mission behaviors, platform control, and fleet-scale autonomy for defense customers.

## Job Description

## What You'll Do

**Technical Strategy & Portfolio Leadership** – Define the long-term technical direction for the Launched Effects portfolio; drive common integration patterns, architecture, and engineering strategy that enable scalable fleet operations across current and future programs.

**Develop & Field Autonomy** – Guide the development and integration of mission autonomy, platform interfaces, executive autonomy, multi-agent coordination, and fleet-scale deployment capabilities while ensuring successful operational delivery across launched effects programs.

**Collaboration Across Teams & Partners** – Build strong technical partnerships across the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception team, feature crews, autopilot vendors, C2 providers, customer organizations, and engineering leadership; influence architecture and technical direction beyond the portfolio.

**Design & Documentation** – Lead cross-functional architecture reviews, interface standards, ICDs, and post-mortems while raising engineering rigor and technical consistency across multiple organizations.

**Mentorship & Organizational Growth** – Mentor Staff and Senior engineers, develop future technical leaders, contribute to engineering standards and leveling, and partner with managers on senior hiring.

**Pre-deployment Preparation** – Guide Capability Release planning, fleet-scale deployment strategies, mission validation, and operational readiness across multiple programs.

**On-site Test & Mission Support** – Provide senior technical leadership during critical flight tests, customer demonstrations, and operational exercises where deep systems integration expertise is required.

**Hardware/Software Debugging** – Lead resolution of the organization's most complex autonomy integration challenges spanning software, embedded systems, networking, platform interfaces, and operational environments.

**Mission Data & Debrief Support** – Drive post-mission analysis, identify systemic improvements, and influence long-term technical investments based on operational learnings.

**Continuous Improvement** – Drive organization-wide improvements to engineering processes, testing infrastructure, integration workflows, developer experience, and mission reliability.

**C2 Interoperability & Standards** – Define technical strategy for command-and-control interoperability; shape interface evolution with internal and external stakeholders while driving adoption of common message and open-systems standards (e.g., UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, TAK/CoT).

**Hiring & Developing Technical Talent** – Define the technical hiring bar for senior engineering roles, partner with engineering managers on long-term staffing strategy, and help grow the organization's technical capabilities.

## Required Qualifications

- BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience.
- Typically requires 10+ years of relevant experience.
- Expert-level C++ and Linux systems development experience.
- Demonstrated experience defining technical strategy across multiple engineering teams or programs.
- Proven track record influencing architecture and solving highly complex autonomy integration challenges.
- Experience mentoring senior engineers and driving engineering excellence across an organization.
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Extensive experience with launched effects, autonomous systems, or distributed robotic platforms.
- Experience defining autopilot integration strategies and multi-agent autonomy architectures.
- Experience leading fleet-scale or disconnected operational deployments.
- Experience with military operational testing and international defense customers.
- Experience with UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, TAK/CoT, or similar open architectures.
- Experience shaping engineering practices across multiple teams or organizations.

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