Staff Systems Engineer (R5982)

Shield AI
United States, Seattle, San Diego, Washington, Dallas
Workplace: OnsiteFull timeUSD 144,000 - 210,000 annuallyFunction: IT Operations (Systems/Network Admin)Experience: 8+ yearsSkills: ["Cross-functional collaboration","Risk management","Trade study evaluation","Project execution","Working in agile environments"]

Lead system architecture and integration for a next-generation UAS platform supporting national defense. Define and document system behavior, develop and manage system requirements with traceability, and collaborate with autonomy, avionics, propulsion, sensor payload, hardware, software, and flight operations teams. Use MBSE tools and perform trade studies and safety analyses to ensure compliance with military and aviation standards, supporting flight testing and operational deployment in contested environments.

Loading

Loading job details...

Preparing the role view and application actions.

FursaFursa
Shield AI
Shield AI
3 days ago

Staff Systems Engineer (R5982)

✓ Verified Job

Canonical indexed version, validated from employer's careers page.

Source: Company careers pageValidated by: Fursa AI
Last checked: 14 hours agoStatus: Live

Job Summary

Lead system architecture and integration for a next-generation UAS platform supporting national defense. Define and document system behavior, develop and manage system requirements with traceability, and collaborate with autonomy, avionics, propulsion, sensor payload, hardware, software, and flight operations teams. Use MBSE tools and perform trade studies and safety analyses to ensure compliance with military and aviation standards, supporting flight testing and operational deployment in contested environments.
Location: United States, Seattle, San Diego, Washington, Dallas
Workplace: Onsite
Employment Type: Full time
Job Function: IT Operations (Systems/Network Admin)
Seniority: Mid level

Key Responsibilities

  • •Develop and refine system architecture for next-gen UAS, ensuring integration of avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensor payloads, and mission-critical systems.
  • •Define and document system-level behavior including modes, states, transitions, and fault responses.
  • •Establish and decompose system requirements into subsystems while maintaining requirements traceability.
  • •Integrate AI-driven autonomy with flight control, decision-making, and mission execution capabilities.
  • •Conduct trade studies, support safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA), and help support flight testing and operational deployment.

Pay and Benefits

Salary: USD 144,000 - 210,000 annually
Equity and Bonus:Equity

Key Requirements

  • •8+ years of experience in systems engineering for aerospace, defense, or autonomous aircraft systems.
  • •Demonstrated experience defining system behavior logic and operational modes.
  • •Deep expertise in system architecture, avionics integration, and autonomy-driven flight systems.
  • •Proficiency in MBSE tools such as DOORS, SysML, and/or CAMEO for complex system modeling.
  • •Experience with flight testing, system integration, performance validation, and working from clean sheet to first flight.
Experience:8+ yearsAerospaceDefenseAutonomous aircraftUnmanned aircraftUASFlight testing
Skills:Cross-functional collaborationRisk managementTrade study evaluationProject executionWorking in agile environments
Tech Stack:SysMLDOORSCAMEOMBSEAvionicsAutonomyPropulsionSensor payloadsAI-driven autonomyISREWMOSAGRAMIL-STDsFAA airworthiness

Eligibility

Security Clearance:S//SARSecretTop Secret

Company Brief

Shield AI
Develops AI-powered autonomy and software for military aircraft and drones to enable autonomous ISR and combat missions, integrating perception, navigation, and mission planning for defense customers.
Industry: Defense Technology
Company Size: Large (251 to 1,000 employees)
Growth: Scaleup
Funding: Series E+
Headquarters: San Diego, United States
Founded: 2015
WebsiteLinkedIn