Staff Engineer, Perception

Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Our international teammates receive a comprehensive total rewards package aligned to your country office location. For full details on compensation and benefits, please consult your talent acquisition partner.

• Develop and contribute production-quality software features and capabilities for autonomous systems

• Design, implement, debug, and maintain software components supporting autonomy, mission execution, system integration, and flight operations

• Integrate autonomy software onto fixed-wing, multirotor, and other unmanned or autonomous systems

• Develop internal tools, automation, telemetry analysis pipelines, and test infrastructure in C++ and Python

• Support software bring-up, system configuration, and mission readiness for flight operations

• Debug and troubleshoot issues across autonomy software, onboard compute, radios, networking, sensors, flight controllers, and mission systems

• Support simulation, SIL, HIL, VIL, ground testing, and live flight test activities

• Support field demonstrations and operational test events, including pre-flight setup, system validation, troubleshooting, and post-flight analysis

• Operate and troubleshoot Ground Control Stations (GCS) and mission support systems

• Capture, analyze, and review flight and system data to support root cause analysis and system improvements

• Work closely with autonomy, systems, hardware, and flight test teams to rapidly integrate and validate new capabilities

• Support rapid software iteration and operational testing in dynamic startup and field environments

• Contribute to operational documentation, test procedures, integration workflows, and deployment readiness activities

• Travel to test sites and support field operations as required
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience

• 3+ years of experience developing and integrating software for robotics, autonomy, aerospace, embedded systems, or related technical fields

• Strong software engineering experience in C++ and Python, including development, debugging, and system integration

• Experience contributing to complex software systems in robotics, autonomy, aerospace, embedded systems, or related domains

• Experience working with Linux-based systems and development environments

• Hands-on experience integrating and troubleshooting hardware and software systems

• Experience supporting field testing, flight testing, demonstrations, or operational exercises

• Familiarity with MAVLink, PX4, ArduPilot, QGroundControl, or related unmanned systems technologies

• Experience debugging distributed or cross-disciplinary systems involving software, networking, sensors, radios, onboard compute, and mission systems

• Strong sense of ownership and ability to operate independently in fast-paced environments

• Strong problem-solving mindset and willingness to work across disciplines

• Ability to travel within Ukraine as required
• Experience supporting autonomous aircraft or unmanned systems

• Experience with SIL, HIL, VIL, simulation, or flight test environments

• Familiarity with ROS, DDS, embedded systems, or real-time systems

• Experience with RF communications, datalinks, and networking systems

• Experience supporting live flight demonstrations or operational deployments

• Familiarity with flight controllers, avionics systems, and aircraft integration

• Experience building internal tools for testing, automation, telemetry analysis, or operational support

• Background in defense, robotics, aerospace, or autonomous systems

• Ukrainian and English language proficiency

• Experience operating in fast-paced and dynamic field environments