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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Staff Software Engineer - **Company:** Shield AI - **Location:** Washington, DC, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Temporary contract - **Skills:** Systems Engineering, Code Review, Data Integration, Programming Tools, Issue Tracking Systems, Kinematics, Motion Planning, Peer-To-Peer (P2P), Release Management, Robotic Automation Software, Software Engineering, Software Requirements Analysis, Software Systems, Subsystems, Systems Integration, Multi-Agent Systems, Information Technology, Operational Systems, DO-178B, Software Version Control - **Published:** September 24, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.juju.com/job/16_aa242696 ## About the Role * BS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field * Proficient in production-level C++ software development * 7+ years' experience in one or more of the following: software sub-system scheduling and integration, behavior planning, task and resource allocation, motion planning, optimization, or flight controls * Experience with collaborative software development tools for version control, issue tracking, code reviews, and release management * Proven ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams, set technical direction, and manage full project lifecycles from concept to deployment * Capacity to learn and grow individually, while mentoring junior team members effectively, building team cohesion and capacity * Desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast paced, enthusiastic, and mission-centric environment * Capacity to act as the technical owner for an entire software system, including stakeholder engagement, requirements definition, roadmap management, team co-ordination, design, implementation, sustainment, and evolution * Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance Preferred Qualifications: * Experience across a breadth of technology readiness levels (TRLs) and demonstration of bridging concepts from research-grade to operationally ready * Experience with mission systems integration, and ideally, hands-on experience supporting integration events and/or flight demonstrations * Experience across a multitude of application areas, including but not limited to: * Collaborative mission planning, behavior planning, synchronized teaming * Automated red force vs blue force tactics * Motion planning across a variety of vehicle classes, kinematic constraints, and team compositions * Weapons target assignment, Sensor target pairing, sensor-centric control laws * Collision avoidance, geofencing, and safety-monitoring * Experience in more than one operational effect (e.g., strike, air combat, surveillance, reconnaissance, etc.) and more than one associated domain (e.g., air, space, maritime, ground, etc.) * Experience with FOSS software that is commonly used in robotic systems (e.g., ROS, OMPL, optimization solvers, etc.) * Experience with simulation tools and environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS) for testing and validation * Familiarity with practical aspects of navigation and communications systems * Experience across the product delivery lifecycle, from emerging opportunity through system acceptance, deployment, and sustainment * Familiarity with systems engineering methodologies * Familiarity with high-assurance software development processes (e.g., DO-178C or equivalent MIL-STD's) ## Description The Autonomy Capabilities Team develops functionality to automate single- and multi-agent teams of platforms in pursuit of mission objectives and acts as a central discipline-aligned focal-point for encouraging consistent usage of technical approaches across business portfolios. This team operates at all levels of the command-and-control hierarchy (from advanced control laws, through motion planning, and up to advanced tactical behaviors and multi-agent coordination) and across a multitude of mission sets, platform types, and operational domains (e.g., air, sea, space). The team puts a strong emphasis on both fundamentals (e.g., aircraft kinematics/dynamics, trajectory design, optimization, information fusion, efficient algorithms, etc.) and software integration skillsets (e.g. structures, protocols, threading, interface management, etc.) to bring market-differentiating capabilities to customers that seamlessly operate within their integration contexts. This position is perfect for an individual who enjoys solving complex problems across a diverse set of programs and integration contexts. An ideal candidate is expected to address operational system needs through a multitude of advanced methodologies that blend traditional control system approaches with advanced optimization. Developed solutions are expected to be integrated into real-world platforms with near-term program impacts and rewards and so balancing theory with practice and rigorous implementation is paramount. What You'll Do: * Develop tactical autonomy software to enable unmanned platforms to perform complex missions across air, land, sea, and space domains with minimal human supervision * Implement and test behaviors that enable multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability in contested scenarios * Work throughout the entire of the software development lifecycle, from requirements capture through design, implementation, verification, and validation, utilizing tools and workflows consistent with collaborative high-quality software development * Champion a product-line mindset in technology road-mapping and to enable reuse of behaviors across multiple projects and portfolios * Utilize your software and systems expertise to architect behaviors as scalable software subsystems, that may interact directly or indirectly with a breadth of system components (e.g., sensor processing, state estimation, peer-to-peer communications, contingency management, actuation, and payload interfacing) * Leverage internal product and program-specific engineering teams to rapidly deliver state-of-the-art capabilities to vehicle platforms (whether internally and externally owned), with a clear path towards architecture and capability evolution over time * Collaborate with external teams, aligning on interfacing requirements between diverse systems, often working closely with vehicle integration teams and associated operational subject matter experts (e.g., fighter pilots, UAV operators, etc.) * Act as a subject matter expert for software engineering, representing software equities in a multi-stakeholder environment including engineering, business and sales leadership. * Travel to co-locate with end-users and/or other teams up to 20% of the time ## Related Videos - [Robots are coming into the wild! 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