Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Flight Test and Demonstration (R3306)

About the position

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company focused on protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its flagship autonomy software, Hivemind, powers aircraft, drones, and other platforms, enabling complex missions with high reliability in contested environments. With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., and internationally, Shield AI's products actively support U.S. and allied operations worldwide. We are seeking an Autonomy Flight Test & Demonstration Software Engineer to support customer engagements by integrating, testing, and demonstrating Hivemind on a variety of UAV platforms. This role blends hands-on software engineering, flight operations, and direct customer interaction, making it an exciting opportunity for engineers who thrive in fast-paced environments.

Responsibilities

• Support live customer demonstrations of Hivemind autonomy by setting up and operating software on UAVs in field environments.
• Develop, test, and debug software components for flight operations, ensuring seamless integration of Hivemind SDK onto customer platforms.
• Conduct flight testing of UAV autonomy, logging results, debugging issues, and providing feedback to the autonomy development team.
• Work cross-functionally with engineering, product, and customer success teams to refine software configurations and optimize mission performance.
• Analyze and document flight test results, providing actionable insights to improve autonomy, controls, and user experience.
• Collaborate directly with customers, pilots, and engineers to tailor UAV behavior and troubleshoot technical challenges.
• Contribute to automation tools for telemetry collection, flight data analysis, and debugging.

Requirements

• B.S in Computer Science, AI, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering or similar.
• 5+ years of experience in software development (C++, Python).
• Experience working with UAV flight software, autonomy, or robotics systems.
• Strong debugging and troubleshooting skills, particularly in real-time field environments.
• Familiarity with flight controllers (PX4, ArduPilot, or similar) and UAV integration workflows.
• Experience conducting field tests and live demonstrations with autonomous systems.
• Ability to travel domestically and internationally (30%).
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work directly with customers in high-stakes environments.

Nice-to-haves

• Hands-on experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) or software-in-the-loop (SIL) simulation for UAV testing.
• Prior experience in DoD programs, military UAV operations, or aerospace/defense testing.
• Experience working with MAVLink, RTPS, or DDS-based communication protocols.
• FAA Part 107 certification or experience operating UAVs in field environments.

Benefits

• $129,467 - $194,201 a year