Senior Staff Engineer, Weapons Systems (SD/TX/DC) (R5019)

United States / San Diego, California / Dallas, Texas / Washington, DC

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 Weapons Systems Engineer to lead the integration, validation, and operational deployment of advanced weapon capabilities on X-Bat. This role directly impacts mission readiness, combat effectiveness, aircraft survivability, and program execution by ensuring weapon systems are successfully integrated, tested, and fielded to operational users.

The engineer will work across the full lifecycle from requirements development through flight test, helping reduce integration risk, accelerate capability delivery, and improve overall mission system performance.

What you'll do:

Define weapon system behaviors, operational sequences, and mission workflows to ensure reliable and predictable weapon employment across all phases of operation
Develop system architectures, activity diagrams, interface definitions, and functional behaviors for aircraft weapon systems and mission system integration
Lead integration of weapon systems, stores management systems, and avionics interfaces while coordinating across software, avionics, flight sciences, mechanical design, and test teams
Support lab, ground, and flight test activities to validate system behavior, identify integration issues early, and improve mission system reliability
Perform troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and corrective action development to reduce integration risk, improve operational readiness, and accelerate capability fielding

Required qualifications:

Bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related technical field
5+ years of experience in military aerospace, mission systems, avionics, or weapon systems integration
Experience defining system behavior, operational concepts, activity diagrams, or functional architectures for complex aerospace systems
Familiarity with MIL-STD-1760, MIL-STD-1553, 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 fighter aircraft, UAV, bomber, or advanced military aircraft programs
Experience with MBSE methodologies and tools such as Cameo Systems Modeler
Background in HIL/SIL integration labs, flight test, or operational weapon system validation
Familiarity with airworthiness, cybersecurity, and resilient mission systems
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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