Senior Principal Autonomy Engineer (R6162)

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 Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Principal Autonomy Engineer to define and lead the technical strategy, architecture, development, integration, and fielding of advanced autonomy capabilities for high performance systems. This role will focus on the sensing, perception, decision, guidance, and control functions that enable reliable operation in complex, contested, and dynamically changing environments.

The Senior Principal Autonomy Engineer will serve as a technical authority for autonomy architectures that incorporate advanced RF sensing, signal processing, electronic protection, state estimation, sensor fusion, guidance, navigation, and end to end vehicle simulation. This individual will shape multi year technical roadmaps, solve the organization’s most complex autonomy and RF performance challenges, and connect algorithm development with embedded implementation, hardware integration, simulation, test, and operational deployment.

The ideal candidate combines deep expertise in radar and RF signal processing with demonstrated leadership in autonomous system development. They bring a record of taking algorithms from early concept through requirements, design reviews, high fidelity modeling, hardware integration, test, and fielded capability, while building and mentoring strong technical teams.

• Define the technical vision, architecture, and development roadmap for autonomy capabilities that combine RF sensing, perception, state estimation, sensor fusion, decision logic, guidance, navigation, and vehicle control.
• Lead the development and maturation of advanced radar and RF signal processing algorithms, including waveform design, adaptive beamforming, direction finding, target detection and tracking, clutter mitigation, electronic protection, and sensor performance optimization.
• Serve as the senior technical authority for autonomy and RF system performance, leading high consequence trade studies, requirements decisions, architecture reviews, algorithm reviews, and technical risk resolution across the full system lifecycle.
• Establish and govern end to end simulation, modeling, and verification approaches, including RF scene generation, electronic attack and protection modeling, sensor models, 6 degree of freedom vehicle simulation, Monte Carlo analysis, software in the loop, hardware in the loop, and field test correlation.
• Lead cross functional technical integration across autonomy, software, RF hardware, avionics, embedded computing, vehicle systems, flight sciences, systems engineering, test, and manufacturing to ensure subsystem performance supports mission level autonomy outcomes.
• Translate mission and vehicle needs into rigorous technical requirements, performance budgets, interface definitions, algorithm specifications, verification plans, and measurable success criteria.
• Guide the technical development of real time algorithm implementations in MATLAB, Python, C, C++, and DSP environments, balancing performance, compute resources, latency, reliability, integration constraints, and operational needs.
• Lead technical engagement with customers, partners, suppliers, and executive stakeholders, communicating technical strategy, performance evidence, maturity, risks, tradeoffs, test outcomes, and recommended decisions.
• Build organizational capability by mentoring engineers, establishing technical standards, recruiting specialized talent, and raising the quality of algorithm development, systems engineering, modeling, verification, and test practices.
• Influence investment decisions, technical proposals, and growth initiatives by defining differentiated autonomy and RF capabilities, assessing technical feasibility, shaping solution architectures, and supporting customer facing technical engagements.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, Computer Science, or a related technical discipline.
• 15 or more years of professional experience in autonomy, radar, RF sensing, signal processing, guidance and navigation, sensor fusion, aerospace systems, robotics, or related complex technical fields.
• Demonstrated technical leadership for the architecture, development, integration, and fielding of advanced autonomous, RF sensing, radar, electronic warfare, avionics, aerospace, or defense systems.
• Expert knowledge of radar and RF signal processing, including waveform design, adaptive processing, beamforming, direction finding, target detection and tracking, clutter modeling, interference mitigation, and performance assessment.
• Experience developing and validating algorithms through high fidelity end to end simulation, including sensor models, RF environmental models, vehicle dynamics, 6 degree of freedom simulation, and operationally representative scenarios.
• Demonstrated experience translating mission needs into system and subsystem requirements, performance allocations, interface definitions, algorithm specifications, verification plans, and test objectives.
• Substantial hands on experience with MATLAB and Python, along with experience developing or transitioning algorithms into C, C++, real time DSP, embedded computing, or hardware accelerated environments.
• Experience leading technical teams, mentoring engineers, driving design reviews, and resolving complex cross functional technical issues involving software, hardware, systems engineering, simulation, integration, and test.
• Strong communication skills and demonstrated ability to influence senior technical leaders, program leaders, external customers, and executive stakeholders through clear technical recommendations and evidence based decisions.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.

• Master’s degree or PhD in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Applied Mathematics, Physics, or a related technical field, with emphasis in radar, RF systems, signal processing, control systems, autonomy, estimation, or optimization.
• Experience leading radar seeker, RF sensing, autonomy, guidance, navigation, or electronic warfare capability development from early research through system design, critical design review, qualification, test, and production or operational deployment.
• Expertise in advanced adaptive signal processing techniques, including space time adaptive processing, adaptive beamforming, optimal estimation, multi sensor tracking, waveform optimization, mismatched filtering, cognitive sensing, or machine learning enabled signal processing.
• Experience with electronic warfare and electronic protection algorithm development, including interference modeling, jamming assessment, clutter modeling, RF scene generation, and resilient sensing methods.
• Experience planning and executing laboratory, chamber, ground, hardware in the loop, field, and flight test activities, including instrumentation, test design, data analysis, model correlation, anomaly resolution, and readiness decisions.
• Experience with system engineering artifacts and lifecycle methods, including requirements decomposition, traceability, interface control documents, performance budgets, verification cross reference matrices, configuration management, and technical risk management.
• Demonstrated record of technical leadership through high value competitive captures, research and development programs, customer proposals, invention disclosures, patents, publications, or externally recognized subject matter expertise.
• Experience building and leading technical teams of engineers across algorithm development, systems engineering, simulation, embedded software, integration, and test.
• Active U.S. Secret or higher security clearance.

$330,000 - $500,000 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.