Staff Engineer, Software, GCS - C++

Founded in 2015, 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 and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. 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 Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.


Job Description:

The Ground Control Station (GCS) and Command & Control (C2) Software team builds the mission planning, command & control, and post-mission debrief systems that enable operators to seamlessly manage complex, multi-domain unmanned missions. We combine deep desktop application development, modern map-centric interfaces, robust backend integrations, and platform-specific control protocols to deliver a world-class operator experience across air, maritime, space, and effects/expendables. In this role, you will focus on building Ground Control Station software, advanced mission planners, post-mission debrief utilities, and general C2 interfaces. You will work across C++, Qt/QML, QGroundControl (QGC), and full-stack technologies to translate autonomous platform capabilities into intuitive, low-latency, and highly reliable control systems.

In this role, you will design and develop major GCS features, mentor mid-level engineers, and represent the GCS/C2 team directly to autonomy capability teams, flight operations, and external partners. It's a hands-on role for engineers who enjoy designing user-facing controls and mission-critical systems and want to see their code drive complex real-world operations.

What you'll do:

• Develop & Field GCS/C2 Software - Design, develop, and optimize high-performance, responsive GCS software and C2 applications, focusing on map-centric mission planning, real-time command & control, video streaming, and telemetry visualization. Customize and extend QGroundControl (QGC) or related Qt/C++ frameworks to support custom vehicle protocols and multi-agent operations.
• Technical Leadership - Own technical direction for major GCS features and systems; architect UI/UX layouts, design robust client/server interfaces, and lead technical decision-making within your project area.
• Collaboration Across Teams - Act as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team, Perception team, flight operations, and external partners (platform integrators, C2 providers, and vehicle vendors); author and negotiate APIs, ICDs, and interface contracts rather than just consume them.
• Mentorship & Growth - Mentor mid-level engineers on the team; partner with managers on onboarding, leveling, and growth planning. Formally onboard senior new hires.
• Design, UX, & Documentation - Drive design reviews, UI/UX prototyping, and ICD definition; champion rigorous coding standards, unit/integration testing, and developer/operator documentation to close process gaps that span teams.
• Pre-deployment Preparation - Own the build, configuration, and validation process for mission-ready ground stations; coordinate hardware/software compatibility, UI/UX readiness, and release cadence with capability and feature teams.
• On-site Test & Mission Support - Travel to test sites and support live mission operations (flight tests, range exercises, on-water trials, integration events), working closely with operators and pilots to gather feedback, debug live C2 systems, and troubleshoot interfaces under time-critical field constraints.
• Hardware/Software Debugging - Diagnose and resolve integration issues across complex GCS/C2 stacks, radio links, payload controls, and telemetry streams - including UI responsiveness bottlenecks, memory leaks, and network latency profiling under operationally-representative loads.
• Mission Data & Debrief Support - Architect and implement post-mission debrief utilities and telemetry analysis tools that parse, play back, and visualize telemetry, logs, and payload data for rapid post-mission analysis and issue reproduction.
• Continuous Improvement - Build tools and automation scripts to improve C2 deployment pipelines, test/mission reliability, and simulation-based operator testing.
• C2 Interoperability & Standards - Own compliance and integration with command-and-control standards and architectures (e.g., A-GRA, UCI, OMS, STANAG 4586, MAVLink).
• Hiring - Interview candidates, help define the skills bar for open roles in your area, and onboard new engineers into your sub-program.
• Travel Requirement - Members of this team typically travel around 10-20% of the year (to support field integration, customer demonstrations, or test events).

Required qualifications:

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 6 years and a Master's degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
• Strong proficiency in C++, with experience developing complex, multi-threaded, or latency-sensitive desktop applications.
• Experience building responsive user interfaces using Qt/QML (or similar modern UI frameworks).
• Hands-on experience customizing, extending, or building with QGroundControl (QGC) or similar open-source/proprietary ground station software.
• Experience full-stack or building backend in C/C++, Python, TypeScript, or Go, including service orchestration, command/status interfaces, and data pipelines between UI, ground services, and vehicle-side components.
• Deep familiarity with networked and distributed systems, including UDP/TCP transport, custom binary protocols, reliable messaging, pub-sub/IPC middleware, and serialization/IDL tooling.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools to accelerate software design, implementation, debugging, testing, and code review while maintaining strong engineering judgment, validation discipline, and ownership of final technical decisions.
• Demonstrated experience owning a major software capability or system from architecture through field delivery.
• Track record of mentoring engineers and growing technical talent.
• Experience authoring or negotiating interface contracts, schemas, or ICDs with internal or external stakeholders.
• Strong debugging and profiling skills, including diagnosing memory leaks, UI responsiveness bottlenecks, and network latency issues.
• Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), map rendering engines (e.g., Mapbox, Cesium, Esri, QGC Map Engine), and 2D/3D spatial data visualization.
• Familiarity with video streaming protocols and multimedia frameworks (e.g., RTSP, WebRTC, GStreamer, H.264/H.265 video codecs).
• Experience developing post-mission telemetry analysis, log parsing, or interactive playback/debrief systems.
• Familiarity with containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and deploying C2 services to local, edge, or cloud environments.
• Experience with platform control / autopilot protocols (e.g., MAVLink, STANAG 4586) or DoD C2 standards (e.g., A-GRA, UCI, OMS).
• Experience working closely with flight operators, pilots, or military stakeholders to gather feedback and refine user workflows.
• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.

$150,000 - $230,000 a year

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Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.


We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.