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Staff Software Engineer, Perception (R5421)

Shield AIWashington, D.C.Flight System Integration
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Salary
$195,200 - $292,800 USD
Job type
Full Time Employee
Posted
28 Jul 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Role Overview

The Staff Software Engineer, Perception role at Defense in Washington, D.C. involves leading the technical development of advanced machine learning solutions for autonomous systems. This position suits an experienced engineer ready to own challenging technical problems and bridge cutting-edge AI research with scalable production systems.

Key Responsibilities

Drive architecture and model development across multiple perception initiatives.
Own the most difficult technical challenges faced by the team.
Influence how foundation models are adapted, evaluated, and deployed for real-world autonomy.
Collaborate closely with researchers, perception engineers, autonomy engineers, and platform teams.
Mentor fellow engineers and elevate the overall technical standards within the organization.

Requirements

Experience working at the intersection of research and production.
Background in developing data pipelines, supervised fine-tuning workflows, evaluation frameworks, and deployment infrastructure.
Ability to transform advanced AI research into reliable, mission-ready perception capabilities.

Skills and Tools

Computer Vision
Machine Learning
Vision, Vision-Language (VLM), and Vision-Language-Action (VLA) models
Data pipelines and supervised fine-tuning (SFT) workflows
Evaluation frameworks and deployment infrastructure

Salary and Benefits

Annual Salary: $195,200 to $292,800 USD

About the Company

Defense, operating as Shield AI, is a venture-backed defense-technology enterprise focused on protecting service members and civilians through intelligent systems. The organization produces Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. Its innovations actively support missions globally across various international locations.

How to Apply

Please submit your application directly on the official company careers page.

Skills and tech stack

Computer Vision

Questions candidates ask

What is the location of the Staff Software Engineer, Perception position?

The position is based in Washington, D.C.

What is the salary range for this role?

The annual salary ranges from $195,200 to $292,800 USD.

What technologies and models does the perception team work with?

The team works with computer vision, machine learning, vision models, vision-language models (VLM), and vision-language-action (VLA) models.

Who will the engineer collaborate with in this role?

The engineer will work closely with researchers, perception engineers, autonomy engineers, and platform teams.

How should candidates apply for the job?

Candidates should apply on the official company careers page.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Shield AI careers page.

Apply on company site