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Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company developing intelligent systems to protect service members and civilians. The company produces Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation technologies, with operations across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
The Autonomy Capabilities team develops core functionality for autonomous decision-making in single- and multi-agent teams across mission objectives. The team operates as a central technical discipline, driving consistent approaches across business portfolios at every level of the command-and-control hierarchy, from advanced control laws and motion planning to tactical behaviors and multi-agent coordination. Work spans air, sea, and space domains.
As Manager of Engineering, Autonomy Capabilities, you will lead a team of 5–10 autonomy engineers, owning technical delivery, organizational health, and growth. Key responsibilities include:
• Lead and grow the team: Manage performance, growth, leveling, engagement, and delivery while providing regular coaching, feedback, and technical mentorship.
• Build the team: Identify required skills, partner with recruiting, conduct interviews, maintain hiring standards, and help close and onboard strong candidates.
• Own technical delivery: Lead autonomy capabilities from initial design through integration, validation, and field deployment. Translate program objectives into clear technical priorities and execution plans.
• Set technical direction: Define technical approaches and architectures for mission autonomy, balancing reuse of existing Shield AI capabilities with new development for specific platforms and missions.
• Develop tactical autonomy: Guide development of motion planning, tactical behaviors, multi-agent coordination, track fusion, perception-aware decision-making, and weapons- or sensor-target assignment for platforms operating in complex and communications-constrained environments.
• Remain technically engaged: Stay close to the code and contribute directly where it provides the most value, including prototyping, design reviews, problem-solving, and supporting key delivery milestones. This is a hands-on manager role, not managing-only.
• Drive engineering and integration rigor: Ensure the team develops high-performance, well-tested software with clear interfaces and reliability required for operational deployment. Lead design reviews and strengthen development, testing, and integration practices.
• Navigate ambiguity: Make sound technical, staffing, and sequencing decisions when requirements are incomplete or program priorities shift. Communicate changes clearly and protect the team's ability to execute.
• Partner across teams and with customers: Collaborate with Perception, Platform Integration, Simulation, Hardware, Flight Test, and Program teams, as well as U.S. and international defense customers, to shape requirements, resolve technical tradeoffs, and successfully integrate autonomy onto real-world platforms.
• Lead testing and continuous improvement: Own validation across software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and live test environments. Use mission data and test results to diagnose failures, improve capabilities, and inform future development.
REQUIREMENTS:
• 8+ years of experience in autonomy, robotics, control systems, or related fields, with demonstrated technical depth in motion planning, trajectory design, optimization, or multi-agent coordination.
• 3+ years of people management experience, with a track record of building, developing, and retaining high-performing engineering teams.
• Strong foundation in vehicle kinematics, dynamics, and control theory.
• Hands-on experience integrating autonomy onto unmanned platforms and supporting flight tests, demonstrations, or field exercises.
• Experience developing capabilities for disconnected, communications-denied, or air-gapped environments.
• Experience authoring interface-control documents or working with UCI, OMS, or similar defense interoperability standards.
• Experience partnering directly with DoD or international defense customers.
• Ability to balance technical depth with people leadership, navigate ambiguity across multiple programs, and translate evolving customer needs into fielded capabilities.
