[Remote] Manager of Engineering - Autonomous Pilot Integration - Expeditionary (R5175)

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company focused on protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. They are seeking a Manager of Engineering for their Autonomous Pilot Integration team, which builds autonomy solutions for unmanned aircraft in expeditionary environments. The role involves leading a team of engineers, mentoring them, and collaborating closely with the aircraft team to develop and integrate autonomy software solutions.ResponsibilitiesLead the Team — Manage a small-to-mid-sized engineering team (typically 5–10 engineers); own performance, growth, leveling, and delivery; run 1:1s, performance reviews, and team ritualsGrow the Team via Hiring — Drive hiring for your area: identify the skills you need, partner with recruiting, run interviews, set the bar, and personally close strong candidatesGrow Engineers Technically — Mentor engineers through hard problems; create stretch opportunities; give direct, actionable technical feedback; help engineers level up in both skill and impactAircraft Team Partnership — Maintain an exceptionally close, daily working relationship with the aircraft team that builds and maintains V-BAT — coordinating continuously on platform changes, autopilot interface evolution, sensor integration, hardware/software compatibility, and release planning. For X-BAT, work closely with the aircraft team to define and integrate the flight-autonomy interface. The success of this role depends heavily on these partnershipsDevelop & Field Autonomy — Develop & integrate autonomy software solutions onto V-BAT, including payload and sensor integration (e.g., payload computer bring-up, ViDAR, EO/IR), integration with the custom V-BAT autopilot and its control modes (e.g., HSA, waypoint), multi-agent coordination, and customer release cadence — and lead a small team through the design, development, and delivery of a major capability or programTechnical Leadership — Lead a small feature crew or sub-program; set technical direction, break down work, unblock the team, and report progress to leadership and stakeholdersHands-on Technical Contribution — Stay active in the code; contribute directly where it serves the team — prototyping new capabilities, taking on deep technical analysis of hard problems, or absorbing critical work during demo crunch. This is a manager role, not a managing-only roleCollaboration Across Teams & Partners — Act as a primary technical interface with the Autonomy Capabilities team (motion planning, tactics), the Perception team, the GCS team, feature crews, the Strategic Systems (ACP) portfolio (whose existing mission autonomy solution underpins X-BAT), and customer/program offices (U.S. and international services); author and negotiate ICDs and interface contracts rather than just consume themDesign & Documentation — Drive design reviews, ICDs, and post-mortems for your area; push the team toward higher rigor and close process gaps that span teamsPre-deployment Preparation — Own the build, configuration, and validation process for mission-ready systems and customer releases; coordinate hardware/software compatibility, mission readiness, release cadence, and operator-facing workflow validation with capability and feature teamsOn-site Test & Mission Support — Travel to test sites, customer exercises, and operator training/deployment events to support live mission operations (flight tests, range exercises, multi-agent live events, customer demonstrations, and fielded operator support), including safety checks, system bring-up, and troubleshooting under time-critical constraintsHardware/Software Debugging — Diagnose and resolve integration issues across complex autonomy stacks, payload computers, and embedded systems in lab and field environments — including memory, CPU, and timing profiling under operationally-representative loadsMission Data & Debrief Support — Capture mission and test data, reproduce issues in simulation, and partner with autonomy capability owners to drive fixes back into the next buildContinuous Improvement — Build tools and processes to improve integration timelines, test/mission reliability, and team efficiency across deployment cyclesC2 Interoperability & Standards — Own the interface contracts with GCS and C2 providers and drive compliance against common message and open-systems standards (e.g., STANAG 4586, UCI, OMS)Travel Requirement – Members of this team typically travel around 20-30% of the year (to different office locations, customer sites, operator training and deployment events, and integration events)SkillsBS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree, or equivalent practical experienceTypically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 5 years and a Master's degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience2+ years of direct people-management experience (running 1:1s, performance reviews, hiring decisions, growth planning)Demonstrated experience building or growing an engineering team — including interviewing, hiring, and onboarding new engineersTrack record of mentoring engineers and growing their technical skill and career trajectoryDemonstrated experience leading a small technical team or owning a major capability from design through field deliveryExperience authoring or negotiating interface contracts / ICDs with internal or external stakeholdersDirect experience with Group 3 unmanned aircraft, VTOL platforms, or comparable medium-sized unmanned systemsExperience with multi-agent autonomyStrong proficiency in C++, with experience developing or integrating real-time or latency-sensitive systemsProficiency in Linux-based development and experience working with embedded systems, shell scripting, and system diagnosticsFamiliarity with middleware, pub-sub, or IPC frameworks used in autonomy or robotics systems (e.g., DDS, message buses)Hands-on experience supporting live exercises, customer demonstrations, or operational test events for medium unmanned aircraft or fielded autonomous systemsExperience with autonomy simulation environments for testing and validationStrong problem-solving skills, with the ability to troubleshoot and optimize system performance across the full stackExcellent communication and teamwork skills, with the ability to work effectively in a collaborative, multidisciplinary environmentAbility to obtain a SECRET clearanceDirect experience integrating autonomy with custom or in-house autopilot stacks at the platform integration levelExperience integrating autonomy with VTOL or hybrid-mode aircraft across multiple control interfaces (e.g., high-level state, waypoint)Experience with EO/IR or ViDAR-class sensor integrationExperience with long-endurance ISR mission profilesProficiency in Python for scripting, automation, and analysisExperience leading a feature crew, sub-program, or small team in an unmanned systems contextExperience growing engineers from mid-level into senior IC, or supporting promotion decisions through a leveling frameworkExperience deploying autonomy onto fielded, customer-operated platforms — including operator workflow iteration, release cadence, and customer feedback loopsExperience iterating directly with fielded military operators or training cadresExperience supporting international defense customer programs (FMS or direct commercial sales)Experience owning customer- or partner-facing technical relationships (e.g., autopilot teams, GCS teams, government program offices)Track record of cross-team improvements (process, rigor, documentation, or developer experience)Familiarity with autonomy stacks, motion planning, or vehicle-control integrationCompetence in avionics bring-up, payload computer integration, or hardware-in-the-loop debuggingExperience developing for or deploying onto ARM-based systems (e.g., embedded payload computers)Experience with containerization (e.g., Docker) on embedded or payload computeProficiency in developing automation tools for system testing, logging, and data parsingExperience developing custom GCS or mission planning surfaces (e.g., TypeScript / web-based applications)Build-system experience (e.g., Conan, CMake) and CI/CD pipeline familiarityComfortable interfacing with DoD stakeholders during field events or technical reviewsExperience with common message and open-systems standards such as STANAG 4586, UCI, or OMSBenefitsBonusBenefitsEquityTemporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)Company OverviewShield AI is a deep-tech company that focuses on developing AI-powered systems to enhance the safety of service members and civilians. It was founded in 2015, and is headquartered in San Diego, California, USA, with a workforce of 1001-5000 employees. Its website is http://www.shield.ai.