Staff Engineer, Perception (R5611)

Shield AI’s mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. We are seeking an Autonomy Software Integration & Test Engineer to support development, integration, testing, and deployment of autonomous systems in Ukraine. 

This role is ideal for a hands-on engineer who enjoys working across software, hardware, aircraft systems, and flight operations in fast-paced field environments. The position combines autonomy software development, system integration, and real-world flight testing across unmanned and autonomous platforms. 

The ideal candidate is comfortable writing and debugging software, integrating autonomy systems onto fixed-wing, multirotor, and other unmanned or autonomous systems, troubleshooting issues in both lab and field environments, and supporting live flight operations under evolving operational conditions. This role requires an engineer who can move fluidly between software development, aircraft integration, flight testing, demonstrations, and operational troubleshooting in a rapidly growing startup environment. 

The ideal candidate demonstrates strong ownership, a bias toward action, and the ability to solve complex problems across software, hardware, and flight operations in rapidly evolving environments. 

This role will primarily support operations in the Lviv region, with occasional travel to other locations within Ukraine for demonstrations, testing, and operational support activities. 

Develop and contribute production-quality software features and capabilities for autonomous systems  

Design, implement, debug, and maintain software components supporting autonomy, mission execution, system integration, and flight operations  

Integrate autonomy software onto fixed-wing, multirotor, and other unmanned or autonomous systems  

Develop internal tools, automation, telemetry analysis pipelines, and test infrastructure in C++ and Python  

Support software bring-up, system configuration, and mission readiness for flight operations  

Debug and troubleshoot issues across autonomy software, onboard compute, radios, networking, sensors, flight controllers, and mission systems  

Support simulation, SIL, HIL, VIL, ground testing, and live flight test activities  

Support field demonstrations and operational test events, including pre-flight setup, system validation, troubleshooting, and post-flight analysis  

Operate and troubleshoot Ground Control Stations (GCS) and mission support systems  

Capture, analyze, and review flight and system data to support root cause analysis and system improvements  

Work closely with autonomy, systems, hardware, and flight test teams to rapidly integrate and validate new capabilities  

Support rapid software iteration and operational testing in dynamic startup and field environments  

Contribute to operational documentation, test procedures, integration workflows, and deployment readiness activities  

Travel to test sites and support field operations as required  

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience  

3+ years of experience developing and integrating software for robotics, autonomy, aerospace, embedded systems, or related technical fields  

Strong software engineering experience in C++ and Python, including development, debugging, and system integration  

Experience contributing to complex software systems in robotics, autonomy, aerospace, embedded systems, or related domains  

Experience working with Linux-based systems and development environments  

Hands-on experience integrating and troubleshooting hardware and software systems  

Experience supporting field testing, flight testing, demonstrations, or operational exercises  

Familiarity with MAVLink, PX4, ArduPilot, QGroundControl, or related unmanned systems technologies  

Experience debugging distributed or cross-disciplinary systems involving software, networking, sensors, radios, onboard compute, and mission systems  

Strong sense of ownership and ability to operate independently in fast-paced environments  

Strong problem-solving mindset and willingness to work across disciplines  

Ability to travel within Ukraine as required  

Experience supporting autonomous aircraft or unmanned systems  

Experience with SIL, HIL, VIL, simulation, or flight test environments  

Familiarity with ROS, DDS, embedded systems, or real-time systems  

Experience with RF communications, datalinks, and networking systems  

Experience supporting live flight demonstrations or operational deployments  

Familiarity with flight controllers, avionics systems, and aircraft integration  

Experience building internal tools for testing, automation, telemetry analysis, or operational support  

Background in defense, robotics, aerospace, or autonomous systems  

Ukrainian and English language proficiency  

Experience operating in fast-paced and dynamic field environments