# Senior Staff Engineer, UxS Integration and Systems

**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** San Diego, CA
**Role:** Embedded Engineering
**Salary:** $170k – $250k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** Linux, Embedded Systems, Networking, Python, Bash, MATLAB, px4, ardupilot, mavlink, pixhawk, qgroundcontrol, mission planner, nvidia jetson, systemd, C++
**Posted:** 2026-08-04

> Leads hands-on integration, readiness, troubleshooting, and field testing for Hivemind across unmanned aircraft, robotic systems, autonomy software, onboard compute, communications, and sensors. Requires 10+ years of cross-disciplinary UxS or UAS integration experience and the ability to obtain a Secret clearance.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Serve as a senior technical focal point for Hivemind integration and test readiness across unmanned aircraft, robotic systems, representative test vehicles, onboard compute, radios, sensors, payloads, and supporting ground equipment.
- Lead hands-on integration and troubleshooting across autonomy software, hardware, flight controllers, communications systems, networking, operator interfaces, and field operations.
- Evaluate platforms for Hivemind development, validation, training, demonstrations, and customer objectives.
- Take systems from benchtop integration through representative testing, field execution, and operationally relevant demonstrations.
- Provide technical judgment on platform suitability, integration complexity, test readiness, risk, safety, maintainability, cost, availability, and customer value.
- Support simulated, hardware-in-the-loop, live-vehicle, and flight-test environments.
- Define readiness criteria, test expectations, operating assumptions, and handoff points.
- Diagnose cross-disciplinary issues across software, autonomy, hardware, flight test, networking, and operations.
- Improve test methods, metrics, evidence practices, automation, tooling, and data-review workflows.
- Capture lessons from platform bring-up, test events, flight operations, and demonstrations.
- Mentor engineers and operators on systems integration, hardware readiness, troubleshooting, and autonomy test execution.

## Required Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in UxS or UAS systems integration, robotics hardware integration, autonomy test operations, flight test, field engineering, embedded systems, or similar hands-on technical roles.
- Experience leading complex integration across hardware, software, autonomy, networking, communications, sensors, and operational test environments.
- Experience bringing up, configuring, operating, and troubleshooting unmanned systems, onboard compute, flight controllers, radios, sensors, ground stations, and test equipment.
- Working knowledge of Linux, embedded systems, networking, system configuration, data collection, logs, services, and field diagnostics.
- Experience with autopilot or flight-control ecosystems such as PX4, ArduPilot, MAVLink, Pixhawk/Cube-class flight controllers, QGroundControl, Mission Planner, or equivalent systems.
- Experience supporting simulation, hardware-in-the-loop, live-vehicle, field, or flight-test environments.
- Ability to develop and communicate test plans, readiness criteria, operating assumptions, technical recommendations, and post-test findings.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, debugging, ownership, urgency, and judgment.
- Ability to lead through influence across engineering, test, product, operations, field, and customer-facing teams.
- Familiarity with scripting, automation, or data analysis using Python, Bash, MATLAB, or similar tools.
- Ability to comply with export-control, safety, security, customer-site, and mission-specific requirements.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance; U.S. citizenship required.

## Preferred Qualifications
- Experience with Hivemind, autonomy SDKs, autonomous aircraft, robotics middleware, simulation infrastructure, or edge-deployed autonomy software.
- Experience with NVIDIA Jetson, embedded Linux, systemd services, containerized deployment, device provisioning, and field updates.
- Experience with RF/radio setup, mesh networking, tactical datalinks, software-defined radios, or communications-degraded testing.
- Experience supporting flight test, range operations, customer trials, operational rehearsals, or complex demonstrations.
- Experience integrating EO/IR cameras, gimbals, lidar, GPS/GNSS, IMUs, payloads, or perception sensors.
- Experience with test automation, regression frameworks, data validation, performance benchmarking, or CI/CD-integrated testing.
- Familiarity with C++ for debugging, interface review, or collaboration with software engineering teams.
- FAA Part 107, private pilot, military UAS, aviation maintenance, flight-test, or range-safety experience.
- Experience defining reference configurations, hardware baselines, supported configurations, or setup guidance.

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