SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company developing autonomous systems and aircraft for military and civilian protection. This role is a hands-on technical position bridging autonomy software and physical aircraft systems.
You will integrate and verify Shield AI's Hivemind mission autonomy software on Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) flight hardware. You serve as the technical bridge between autonomy algorithms and aircraft systems, working across Shield AI and aircraft platform vendors to verify system interfaces, validate edge compute performance, and resolve integration issues before flight testing.
Key responsibilities:
- Deploy, integrate, and verify Hivemind mission autonomy software with ACP software and hardware in SIL and HIL labs at Shield AI and platform vendor facilities
- Develop detailed integration test plans, test cards, schedules, and objective success criteria across lab, ground, and flight test phases
- Proactively identify architectural, interface, protocol, timing, and hardware/software gaps; formulate gap-closure plans, risk mitigations, and technical workarounds
- Partner directly with aircraft OEMs and platform vendors to coordinate lab readiness, align entry/exit criteria, and co-execute joint integration campaigns
- Execute integration tests, configure test benches, and lead real-time troubleshooting of multi-system anomalies
- Coordinate across engineering teams to design and build test automation and simulation scripts
- Enforce empirical test entry/exit criteria to gate delivery to flight test; support flight test preparation, configuration validation, troubleshooting, and post-flight data analysis
- Travel to test sites, customer events, and integration activities as required
Requirements:
- 5+ years of relevant experience with a Bachelor's degree in Aerospace, Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, Systems Engineering, or related technical field; OR 3+ years with a Master's degree
- Demonstrated experience in system integration and test, including SIL, HIL, simulation, and flight test environments
- Proven ability to author clear, comprehensive integration test plans, procedures, and test cards; translate test results into actionable engineering findings and gap closure roadmaps
- Strong experience troubleshooting complex system interfaces using telemetry, logs, packet capture tools (e.g., Wireshark), or hardware diagnostic equipment
- Proficiency with Linux operating systems and scripting languages (Python preferred) for test automation, data analysis, and hardware bench interfacing
- Highly organized and methodical; ability to organize integration tasks, track dependencies, and coordinate work across distributed engineering teams and external partners
- Willingness and ability to travel periodically to platform vendor facilities and flight test locations
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. DoD SECRET security clearance; U.S. citizenship required
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with Autonomous Collaborative Platforms (ACP), Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA), UAS (Group 4/5), or military aircraft mission systems
- Experience working directly inside aircraft manufacturer or defense prime contractor integration labs (Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Anduril)
- Familiarity with open systems architectures such as Open Mission Systems (OMS), Universal Command and Control Interface (UCI), and Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)
- Experience with inter-process communication and messaging middleware (DDS, ROS/ROS2, ZeroMQ, gRPC)
- Understanding of airworthiness processes, safety-of-flight standards, or software assurance guidelines (DO-178C, DO-254, MIL-STD-882E)
- Active DoD SECRET or TOP SECRET clearance
