Senior Staff Engineer, GCS / Communications Systems (R5020)

San Diego, California

X-BAT Division – X-BAT Engineering - System Engineering & Integrated Test /

Full Time Employee /

On-site

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.

Job Description:

We are seeking a GCS / Communications Systems Engineer to lead the development, integration, and validation of ground control station and communication architectures supporting advanced military aircraft and autonomous systems. This role directly impacts mission effectiveness, command and control reliability, platform connectivity, and operational resiliency by ensuring robust communication between air, ground, and distributed mission systems.

The engineer will define system behaviors, operational workflows, and communication architectures across the full lifecycle, from concept development through flight and operational test. This role plays a critical part in reducing integration risk, improving network resiliency, and accelerating deployment of mission-critical communication capabilities.

What you'll do:

Define GCS and communication system behaviors, operational workflows, and activity diagrams to ensure reliable command, control, telemetry, payload, and mission data exchange
Develop and integrate communication architectures including RF links, SATCOM, LOS/BLOS datalinks, networking infrastructure, antennas, encryption devices, and mission control interfaces
Lead cross-functional integration between avionics, mission systems, networking, cybersecurity, software, and test teams to improve system interoperability and reduce integration risk
Develop and validate interface definitions, network architectures, link budgets, and communication performance requirements for airborne and ground-based systems
Support lab, field, and flight test activities to troubleshoot communication issues, validate network performance, and improve operational resiliency and mission readiness

Required qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Systems Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical field
5+ years of experience in communications systems, networking, mission systems, or military aerospace integration
Experience with GCS architectures, datalinks, RF systems, networking, or airborne communication systems
Familiarity with LOS/BLOS communications, SATCOM, IP networking, encryption technologies, and hardware/software integration environments
Strong systems engineering, troubleshooting, and cross-functional communication skills
Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.

Preferred qualifications:

Experience supporting UAV, fighter aircraft, autonomous systems, or military communication networks
Experience defining operational behaviors, activity diagrams, CONOPS, or system architectures using MBSE tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler
Background in integration labs, flight test, network resiliency, or tactical communication systems
Familiarity with cybersecurity, RMF, resilient communications, and contested environment operations
Active Secret or Top Secret clearance preferred

$170,000 - $250,000 a year

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Full-time regular employee offer package:

Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity

Temporary employee offer package:

Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)

Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.

Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.

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