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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration - Emerging Domains (R5401) - **Company:** Shield AI - **Location:** San Diego, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $195,200.0 - $292,800.0 - **Contract:** Temporary contract - **Skills:** C++ (Programming Language), Software Debugging, Interoperability, Systems Integration, SC Clearance, Linux Development - **Published:** July 23, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=760adacfae9dcfc4 ## About the Role * BS/MS in a relevant engineering discipline or equivalent practical experience. Typically requires 7+ years of relevant experience. * Expert C++ and Linux development experience. * Experience leading complex autonomy or systems integration efforts. * Experience influencing technical direction across engineering teams. * Experience operating successfully in ambiguous or rapidly evolving technical environments. * Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance., * Experience standing up autonomy on new platforms. * Experience with autonomous aircraft, maritime, or space systems. * Experience mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives. * Experience with military test events or customer deployments. * Experience with UCI, OMS, STANAG 4586, or comparable interoperability standards. ## Description Stand Up New Programs - Lead technical efforts to establish autonomy on new platforms, determining how best to leverage existing Shield AI capabilities while developing new platform-specific solutions. Navigate Ambiguity & Shifting Priorities - Operate effectively as programs evolve, adapting technical plans, balancing competing priorities, and maintaining engineering momentum through changing customer and program requirements. Develop & Field Autonomy - Lead development and integration of autonomy software across emerging-domain platforms, including platform interfaces, payload integration, mission autonomy, and operational deployment. Technical Leadership - Lead feature crews or major integration efforts, mentor engineers, remove technical obstacles, and drive delivery of complex capabilities. Platform Team Partnerships - Serve as a primary technical partner to platform engineering teams while coordinating interface evolution, hardware/software compatibility, and mission readiness. Collaboration Across Teams & Partners - Coordinate closely with Autonomy Capabilities, Perception, GCS, feature crews, customer/program offices, and external partners to deliver integrated autonomy solutions. Design & Documentation - Lead design reviews, architecture discussions, ICD development, and engineering improvements across multiple efforts. Pre-deployment Preparation - Drive validation, release readiness, hardware/software integration, and mission preparation for operational deployments. On-site Test & Mission Support - Provide technical leadership during live testing, demonstrations, and operational events across air, maritime, space, and emerging platforms. Hardware/Software Debugging - Lead root-cause analysis across complex autonomy stacks, embedded systems, and platform interfaces. Mission Data & Debrief Support - Drive post-mission analysis and coordinate engineering improvements based on operational results. Continuous Improvement - Improve engineering processes, testing infrastructure, integration workflows, and deployment efficiency. C2 Interoperability & Standards - Drive implementation of command-and-control interfaces and interoperability standards appropriate for each platform. Travel Requirement - Members of this team typically travel around 10-20% of the year to different office locations, customer sites, operator training events, flight tests, and integration exercises. ## Related Videos - [Crew Management System for Airlines: Plan duties for pilots & flight attendants worldwide](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1444-crew-management-system-for-airlines-plan-duties-for-pilots-flight-attendants-worldwide) - [Develop on Windows, Deploy on Red Hat Enterprise Linux](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1600-develop-on-windows-deploy-on-red-hat-enterprise-linux) - [From Bedside Beeps to Interoperable Bytes – Getting your medical devices ready to talk the IEEE 11073 language](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/771-from-bedside-beeps-to-interoperable-bytes-getting-your-medical-devices-ready-to-talk-the-ieee-11073-language) - [Code to Road in < 12 hours](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1082-code-to-road-in-12-hours) - [Opening the Mobile Space with CAMARA’s Network APIs - CAMARA Project](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1728-opening-the-mobile-space-with-camara-s-network-apis-camara-project) - [WeAreDevelopers LIVE - GraalVM in action, Static Analysis insights and more](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1723-wearedevelopers-live-graalvm-in-action-static-analysis-insights-and-more) ## Related Articles - [How software is steering vehicle technology](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/515-how-software-is-steering-vehicle-technology) - [Dev Digest 132 - Binging WADFlix?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/473-dev-digest-132-binging-wadflix) - [Dev Digest 134 - Where pixels sing?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/477-dev-digest-134-where-pixels-sing) - [Dev Digest 121 - AI goes offline](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/456-dev-digest-121-ai-goes-offline) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated)