Chief Engineer, Autonomy

What You'll Do

• Serve as the senior technical authority for Shield AI's CCA autonomy efforts, accountable for technical strategy, architecture, execution, customer engagement, and mission effectiveness.
• Lead the development, integration, and deployment of operational autonomy capabilities from concept through flight test, operational evaluation, and fielding.
• Define and evolve autonomy architectures spanning mission planning, perception, decision-making, collaborative behaviors, human-machine teaming, and platform integration.
• Drive engineering rigor and technical governance across the program, ensuring sound architectural decisions, disciplined execution, and mission-focused outcomes.
• Partner closely with program leadership to balance risk, schedule, operational requirements, and customer priorities.
• Lead technical readiness for major demonstrations, flight tests, program milestones, operational assessments, and customer engagements.
• Direct verification, validation, and operational integration efforts required to establish trust, performance, safety, and mission effectiveness.
• Build and mentor a world-class technical organization consisting of chief engineers, architects, principal engineers, autonomy developers, and mission domain experts.
• Help shape the future of autonomous air combat by influencing requirements, concepts of operation, technical roadmaps, and next-generation autonomy capabilities.

Required Qualifications

• 15+ years of engineering experience developing complex aerospace, defense, autonomy, weapons, or mission-critical systems.
• Experience serving as a Chief Engineer, Technical Director, Chief Architect, Technical Fellow, Technical Program Manager, or equivalent technical leadership role.
• Demonstrated success leading large multidisciplinary engineering teams through development, integration, test, and deployment of operational systems.
• Proven ability to lead across software, systems, AI/ML, simulation, mission systems, flight test, and operational stakeholders.
• Experience delivering major defense products with significant technical complexity and customer visibility.
• Experience working directly with Air Force, Navy, Operational Users, Program Executive Offices, or major defense acquisition programs.
• Strong executive communication skills with the ability to influence government, military, and industry leaders.
• Experience operating effectively in rapidly evolving, high-consequence environments.
• Active Secret clearance with the ability to obtain a Top Secret clearance.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP), advanced aviation autonomy programs, or related initiatives.
• Experience with crewed-uncrewed teaming, mission autonomy, autonomous mission systems, air combat autonomy, or collaborative autonomous systems.
• Background in military aviation, advanced aerospace systems, weapons systems, mission systems integration, or combat aircraft development.