# Manager of Engineering - Autonomous Pilot Integration
**Company:** [Shield AI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/shield-ai)
**Location:** San Diego, CA, Dallas, TX, Washington, DC, Boston, MA
**Salary:** $220K-$330K
**Experience:** 7+ years
**Skills:** C++, Linux, Embedded Systems, Px4, Ardupilot, Dds, Python, Qgroundcontrol, Middleware, Ipc
**Posted:** 2026-06-11
> Lead a 3-8 person autonomy engineering team building and fielding multi-agent autonomy software for launched effects platforms. Own hiring, mentoring, technical direction, integration with PX4/ArduPilot, and on-site test support.
## Job Description
## What you'll do

- Lead the Team — Manage a small-to-mid-sized engineering team (typically 3–8 engineers); own performance, growth, leveling, and delivery; run 1:1s, performance reviews, and team rituals.
- Grow the Team via Hiring — Drive hiring for your area: identify the skills you need, partner with recruiting, run interviews, set the bar, and personally close strong candidates.
- Grow Engineers Technically — Mentor engineers through hard problems; create stretch opportunities; give direct, actionable technical feedback; help engineers level up in both skill and impact.
- Develop & Field Autonomy — Develop & integrate autonomy software solutions onto launched effects platforms, including payload computer bring-up, autopilot integration (e.g., PX4, ArduPilot), multi-agent coordination, and fleet-scale deployment to disconnected or air-gapped environments — and lead a small team through the design, development, and delivery of a major capability or program.
- Technical Leadership — Lead a small feature crew or sub-program; set technical direction, break down work, unblock the team, and report progress to leadership and stakeholders.
- Collaboration Across Teams & Partners — Act as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team, feature crews, autopilot vendors (e.g., PX4, ArduPilot), C2 providers, and customer/contractor partners (including embedded contractor engineers and U.S. or international government program offices); author and negotiate ICDs and interface contracts rather than just consume them.
- Design & Documentation — Drive design reviews, ICDs, and post-mortems for your area; push the team toward higher rigor and close process gaps that span teams.
- Pre-deployment Preparation — Own the build, configuration, and validation process for mission-ready systems and fleet-scale deployments (often 50–150+ units in disconnected environments); coordinate hardware/software compatibility, mission readiness, and Capability Release (CR) cadence with capability and feature teams.
- On-site Test & Mission Support — Travel to test sites and customer exercises to support live mission operations (flight tests, range exercises, multi-agent live events, customer demonstrations), including safety checks, system bring-up, and troubleshooting under time-critical constraints.
- Hardware/Software Debugging — Diagnose and resolve integration issues across complex autonomy stacks, payload computers, and embedded systems in lab and field environments — including memory, CPU, and timing profiling under operationally-representative loads.
- Mission Data & Debrief Support — Capture mission and test data, reproduce issues in simulation, and partner with autonomy capability owners to drive fixes back into the next build.
- Continuous Improvement — Build tools and processes to improve integration timelines, test/mission reliability, and team efficiency across deployment cycles.
- C2 Interoperability & Standards — Own the interface contracts with C2 providers and drive compliance against common message and open-systems standards (e.g., UCI, OMS, MOSA, WOSA, TAK/CoT).

## Required qualifications

- BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree, or equivalent practical experience
- Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 5 years and a Master's degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience
- 2+ years of direct people-management experience (running 1:1s, performance reviews, hiring decisions, growth planning)
- Demonstrated experience building or growing an engineering team — including interviewing, hiring, and onboarding new engineers
- Track record of mentoring engineers and growing their technical skill and career trajectory
- Demonstrated experience leading a small technical team or owning a major capability from design through field delivery
- Experience authoring or negotiating interface contracts / ICDs with internal or external stakeholders
- Direct experience with launched effects, loitering munitions, expendable autonomous systems, or comparable small unmanned platforms
- Experience with multi-agent, swarm, or fleet-scale autonomy
- Strong proficiency in C++, with experience developing or integrating real-time or latency-sensitive systems
- Proficiency in Linux-based development and experience working with embedded systems, shell scripting, and system diagnostics
- Familiarity with middleware, pub-sub, or IPC frameworks used in autonomy or robotics systems (e.g., DDS, message buses)
- Hands-on experience supporting live exercises, customer demonstrations, or operational test events for launched effects or similar small unmanned systems
- Experience with autonomy simulation environments for testing and validation
- Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance across the full stack
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment
- Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance

## Preferred qualifications

- Direct experience with PX4 and/or ArduPilot at the platform integration level
- Experience using and developing on QGroundControl (QGC) or other Qt-based ground control stations
- Proficiency in Python for scripting, automation, and analysis
- Experience leading a feature crew, sub-program, or small team in an unmanned systems context
**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/manager-of-engineering-autonomous-pilot-integration-at-shield-ai-7a9d9120-5dc6-411c-ae49-2646bf82dee6
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/manager-of-engineering-autonomous-pilot-integration-at-shield-ai-7a9d9120-5dc6-411c-ae49-2646bf82dee6