Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration

What You'll Do

• Stand Up New Programs – Define the technical strategy for establishing autonomy on entirely new platforms and mission areas, determining what should be built, reused, or extended from existing Shield AI capabilities.
• Navigate Ambiguity & Shifting Priorities – Lead engineering through evolving customer needs, changing priorities, and uncertain technical landscapes while maintaining execution and long-term technical vision.
• Technical Strategy & Portfolio Leadership – Define long-term technical direction across Emerging Domains, establishing architecture, integration strategies, and engineering patterns that enable successful transition from R&D to operational programs.
• Develop & Field Autonomy – Guide development and deployment of autonomy capabilities across space, maritime, contested logistics, and future emerging platforms while ensuring successful operational delivery.
• Platform Team Partnerships – Build deep technical partnerships with platform organizations and influence interface evolution, integration strategy, and long-term platform architecture.
• Collaboration Across Teams & Partners – Influence architecture across Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, platform teams, engineering leadership, customer organizations, and external partners.
• Design & Documentation – Lead architecture reviews, engineering standards, ICDs, and technical best practices across multiple organizations.
• Pre-deployment Preparation – Guide release strategy, mission validation, and operational readiness across multiple emerging programs.
• On-site Test & Mission Support – Provide senior technical leadership during critical demonstrations, operational exercises, and customer events where deep systems expertise is required.
• Hardware/Software Debugging – Lead resolution of the organization's most challenging autonomy integration problems spanning software, hardware, embedded systems, and platform interfaces.
• Mission Data & Debrief Support – Drive organizational learning from operational testing and shape future technical investments based on mission outcomes.
• Continuous Improvement – Drive long-term improvements to engineering processes, developer experience, testing infrastructure, and integration workflows across the Emerging Domains portfolio.
• C2 Interoperability & Standards – Define technical strategy for command-and-control interoperability and guide adoption of platform-appropriate open-systems standards across emerging programs.
• Grow R&D into Programs – Partner with engineering leadership and customers to evolve successful R&D efforts into scalable, long-term programs while helping shape technical strategy for future portfolios.
• Hiring & Developing Technical Talent – Help define the technical hiring bar for senior engineering roles, mentor future technical leaders, and partner with managers to grow organizational capability.

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 programs or engineering organizations.
• Proven track record solving highly complex systems integration challenges in ambiguous environments.
• Experience mentoring senior engineers and influencing engineering direction without formal authority.
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading first-of-kind autonomy or advanced R&D efforts.
• Experience across multiple autonomy domains (air, maritime, space, ground, or robotics).
• Experience transitioning prototypes into operational systems.
• Experience with government R&D programs and defense customers.
• Experience shaping engineering practices across an organization.
• Experience with UCI, OMS, STANAG 4586, or other defense interoperability standards.