Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime (R5339)

Robust Motion Planning – Automate unmanned surface vehicle (USV) and/or unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) maneuvering through advanced motion planning and adherence to safety constraints including keep-out volumes, cooperative and uncooperative vehicles, and depth limitations 

Localization and Tracking – Employ cutting edge approaches for passive and active localization by defining fusion modalities, sensor requirements, and observability-aware maneuvering capabilities to maximize information gleaned from single- or multi-agent sensor networks 

Safe Maritime Operations – Keep vehicle safety as a central focus within autonomous behavior architectures to provide run-time assurance, ensure COLREGS adherence, and build operator trust in advanced mission autonomy 

Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Collaboration – Develop distributed optimization and task allocation approaches for heterogenous teaming in order to accomplish mission objectives by maximally utilizing the diverse capabilities of agents to overall team advantage 

Rigorous Software Development – Develop high-performance software modules that are well-tested, have clear interfaces and span-of-control, and are ready for mid-to-high Technology Readiness Level (TRL) insertions 

Cross-Functional Collaboration – Collaborate with cross-functional teams including perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and operational test to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real-world platforms 

Deployment & Test Support – Deploy autonomy capabilities to real surface vehicles, supporting integration and demonstration events as well as analysis of mission logs to verify software performance and validate system operational effect 

R&D and Road-mapping – Contribute to autonomy roadmaps by researching and prototyping new algorithms, identifying tactical capability gaps, and proposing novel solutions that advance Shield AI’s mission 

Travel Requirement – Members of this team typically travel around 25% of the year (to different office locations, customer sites, and flight integration events). 

BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree, or equivalent practical experience 

Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 9 years and a Master’s degree; or 7 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience 

Proficiency in programming languages such as C++ and Python 

Significant background in one or several robotic technology areas related to control systems, motion planning, optimization, tactical behaviors, and/or distributed decision-making 

Significant experience with unmanned system technologies and accompanying algorithms (ideally in the maritime domain specifically) 

Experience with simulation tools and environments (e.g., AFSIM, NGTS, or similar) for testing and validation 

Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance 

Excellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environment 

Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance or higher 

Experience in multiple domains (e.g., air, land, sea, space) 

Experience across a breadth of methodologies from classical control through optimization and applied ML/RL 

Background in collaborative behaviors and swarm robotics 

Familiarity with domain-relevant DoD or government programs 

Hands-on experience supporting integration events, customer demos, and/or live exercises 

Experience in applied research and development