SlipstreamJobs tracks this role from the company's public career site. Apply directly on the employer's site.
Shield AI is seeking a Staff Engineer for Mission Systems to serve as a senior technical leader responsible for end-to-end engineering of mission systems on advanced next-generation unmanned aircraft. This role encompasses payloads, communications, avionics, weapons, and associated support systems. The engineer will shape technical direction across programs, ensuring aircraft deliver decisive mission capabilities through robust, integrated, and certifiable system designs.
Key responsibilities include:
- Leading system architecture and requirements development and integration for payloads, avionics, and weapons integration
- Serving as a technical subject matter expert for mission systems engineering across the aircraft program
- Driving trade studies and system-of-systems analysis to balance performance, cost, and schedule
- Overseeing integration and test campaigns, from bench-level hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) to flight test
- Ensuring compliance with MIL-HDBK-516C, DO-178C, DO-254, and related standards
- Collaborating with program management to de-risk architectures and ensure technical maturity gates are met
- Interfacing with customers, partners, and suppliers to align system requirements and certifications
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with a mission to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. The company develops Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies, with operations worldwide across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific.
REQUIREMENTS:
- B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field
- 8+ years of relevant aerospace/defense experience, with at least 5 years in mission systems integration
- Demonstrated experience with aircraft payloads, avionics, and/or weapons integration
- Demonstrated experience with line-of-sight and beyond line-of-sight aircraft communications systems and components
- Working knowledge of Government modular open system approach (MOSA) standards including open mission systems (OMS), Government Reference Architectures (GRA), or modular avionics standards
- Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver complex systems to fielded capability
- Strong knowledge of systems engineering processes and product development lifecycle
- Familiarity with DO-178C/DO-254 certification requirements for software and hardware
- Excellent communication skills and ability to brief technical findings to executives and customers
- Active Secret clearance and ability to obtain Top-Secret clearance
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Master's or PhD in Aerospace, Systems, or Electrical Engineering
- Hands-on experience with flight test operations and mission system validation
- Direct experience integrating advanced sensors, autonomy, AI-enabled payloads, or guided weapons
- Background in model-based systems engineering (MBSE) and SysML tools
- Strong knowledge of current aircraft mission systems vendors and capabilities
- Active DoD Top Secret clearance
