
Senior Systems Engineer (R5962)
Shield AI
Washington, United States · Full time employee · Robotics Software & Infrastructure
Job Description: As a Senior Systems Engineer on Shield AI’s next gen UAS program, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and integrating cutting-edge autonomous aircraft systems for national defense.
Apply on Shield AI’s careers page- Company
- Shield AI
- Location
- Washington, United States
- Workplace
- On-site
- Type
- Full time employee
- Level
- Senior
- Specialism
- Robotics Software & Infrastructure
- Team
- RaptorX Engineering - System & Test
- Salary
- $115K–$170K
- Posted
- 9 October 2025
About the role
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 www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. Job Description: As a Senior Systems Engineer on Shield AI’s next gen UAS program, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and integrating cutting-edge autonomous aircraft systems for national defense. You will lead the technical execution of system architecture, ensuring seamless integration of avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensor payloads, and mission-critical systems. This position requires a deep understanding of aerospace systems engineering, autonomy, and complex system integration. You will work cross-functionally with teams in hardware, software, autonomy, flight operations, and manufacturing to develop a scalable, mission-ready platform capable of operating in contested environments. Your expertise will be critical in defining system requirements and architectures through model-based systems engineering, conducting trade studies, ensuring compliance with military and aviation standards, and supporting the aircraft through flight testing and operational deployment.