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Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Emerging Domains (R5423)

Shield AIWashington, D.C.Flight System Integration
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Salary
$163,200 - $244,800 USD
Job type
Full Time Employee
Posted
21 Jul 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Role Overview

The Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Emerging Domains role at Defense in Washington, D.C. involves building advanced autonomy solutions for new platforms and mission profiles. This full-time position is ideal for engineers who enjoy tackling complex integration challenges and bringing new capabilities to real-world environments.

Key Responsibilities

Develop and integrate autonomy capabilities across a diverse range of emerging-domain platforms.
Write innovative autonomy code covering mission behaviors, platform-specific control, multi-agent coordination, contingencies, and executive autonomy.
Own software projects end-to-end, spanning software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, vehicle-in-the-loop, and live test exercises.
Collaborate closely with platform teams, autonomy capabilities, perception, ground control station teams, feature crews, and customer stakeholders.
Establish autonomy on brand-new systems that typically lack an existing autonomy baseline.

Requirements

Experience working across diverse platforms and solving ambiguous technical problems.
Capability to handle short-term research, development, and integration efforts for novel platforms and mission profiles.
Ability to combine motion planning, tactics, perception, and HivemindSDK components to create functional autonomy solutions.

Skills and Tools

HivemindSDK
Software-in-the-loop (SIL) testing
Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing
Vehicle-in-the-loop testing
Motion planning and perception integration tools

Salary and Benefits

Annual salary range of USD 163,200 to 244,800.

About the Company

Defense is a venture-backed defense-tech organization focused on protecting service members and civilians through the use of intelligent systems. The enterprise develops products such as Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. Operating globally with offices and facilities across multiple regions, the organization actively supports operations worldwide.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should visit the official company careers page to submit an application for this position.

Questions candidates ask

What is the location of this job?

This position is located in Washington, D.C.

What is the salary range for this role?

The annual salary ranges from USD 163,200 to 244,800.

What department handles this role?

This role is part of the Flight System Integration department.

What types of emerging domains does the team focus on?

The team focuses on space, maritime, and contested logistics domains.

How can I apply for this position?

Candidates can apply directly on the official company careers page.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Shield AI careers page.

Apply on company site