Software Engineer II, Autonomy Behaviors (R5202)
- Salary
- USD 131,921 - 197,881 / per-year-salary
- Level
- Mid
- Work type
- On-site · Boston
Not stated in the posting: visa.
Open. First seen 22 October 2026.
About the role
Shield AI's standard text
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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. 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.
The Autonomy Capabilities Team develops functionality to automate single- and multi-agent teams of platforms in pursuit of mission objectives and acts as a central discipline-aligned focal-point for encouraging consistent usage of technical approaches across business portfolios. This team operates at all levels of the command-and-control hierarchy (from advanced control laws, through motion planning, and up to advanced tactical behaviors and multi-agent coordination) and across a multitude of mission sets, platform types, and operational domains (e.g., air, sea, space). The team puts a strong emphasis on both fundamentals (e.g., aircraft kinematics/dynamics, trajectory design, optimization, information fusion, efficient algorithms, etc.) and software integration skillsets (e.g. structures, protocols, threading, interface management, etc.) to bring market-differentiating capabilities to customers that seamlessly operate within their integration contexts.
This position is perfect for an individual who enjoys solving complex problems across a diverse set of programs and integration contexts. An ideal candidate is expected to address operational system needs through a multitude of advanced methodologies that blend traditional control system approaches with advanced optimization. Developed solutions are expected to be integrated into real-world platforms with near-term program impacts and rewards and so balancing theory with practice and rigorous implementation is paramount.
What You'll Do:
- Implement tactical autonomy software features that enable unmanned platforms to perform complex missions across air, land, sea, and space domains
- Develop and test behaviors supporting coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability in contested scenarios
- Participate in the software development lifecycle, including implementation, testing, debugging, and supporting verification and validation efforts
- Collaborate with senior engineers to integrate software components with broader system elements (e.g., sensor processing, communications, and actuation)
- Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code following established engineering standards and team practices
- Support integration and testing across simulation and real-world environments
- Work with cross-functional teams to understand requirements and support successful feature delivery
- Continue building expertise in software engineering, autonomy, and robotics systems
- Travel up to 20% to support testing, integration, and collaboration with partner teams
Required Qualifications:
- BS in Computer Science, Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field
- Experience in production-level C++ software development
- 2-3 years of experience in one or more of the following: software sub-system scheduling and integration, behavior planning, task and resource allocation, motion planning, optimization, or flight controls
- Experience with collaborative software development tools for version control, issue tracking, code reviews, release management
- Ability to contribute to the design, development, and integration of complex software systems as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- Demonstrated problem-solving skills and ability to learn new technologies in a fast-paced environment
- Willingness to collaborate closely with teammates and support team objectives
- Interest in growing technical skills and, over time, providing guidance to more junior engineers
- Desire to work in a highly collaborative, fast paced, and mission-driven environment
- Eligible to obtain and maintain an active U.S. Secret security clearance
Preferred Qualifications:
- Exposure to systems operating at different technology readiness levels (TRLs) through academic, research, or internship experience
- Experience in the delivery of a military mission system
- Familiarity with mission systems integration concepts, testing, or demonstrations
- Experience (academic or project-based) in one or more of the following areas:
- Motion planning, behavior planning, or multi-agent coordination
- Expose to autonomy, control, or decision-making systems
- Safety mechanisms such as collision avoidance or constraint enforcement
- Familiarity with robotic software tools (e.g., ROS, OMPL, or similar frameworks)
- Experience using simulation environments for development or testing
- Basic understanding of navigation and/or communications systems
- Awareness of the software or systems development lifecycle
- Familiarity with systems engineering fundamentals
- Exposure to high-assurance or safety-critical software concepts (e.g., DO-178C or similar)
#LB
#LI-ED1
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's standard text
###
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.
What this role asks for
84% of this description is written for the role. The rest is Shield AI's standard text, folded away below.
Compared with Shield AI's other open jobs.
The team: Flight System Integration
This role is one of 48 open in Flight System Integration.
WHAT THE TEAM WORKS WITH, ACROSS ITS POSTINGS
C++ (46 of 48), Python (32 of 48), Linux (26 of 48), Embedded Systems (23 of 48), RTOS (14 of 48), Docker (13 of 48), Bash (12 of 48)
OTHER ROLES ON THIS TEAM
- Manager of Engineering, Autonomy Capabilities (R5412) posted Sep 16
- Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities (R5368) posted Sep 1
- Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities (R4587) posted Sep 1
- Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5395) posted Sep 1
- Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5402) posted Sep 1
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities (R5339) posted Sep 1
- Staff Engineer, Perception (R5611) posted Aug 27
- Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime (R5325) posted Aug 26
- Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime (R5363) posted Aug 26
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Maritime (R5339) posted Aug 26
- Senior Engineer, Autonomy Software Integration & Test (R5606) posted Aug 26
- Staff Engineer, Digital Infrastructure (R5602) posted Aug 26
- Staff Engineer, Test Integration, Modelling and Simulation (R5601) posted Aug 26
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5423) posted Aug 19
- Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomy and Motion Planning (R5538) posted Aug 6
- Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomy Software Integration & Test (R5539) posted Aug 6
- Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Space (R5368) posted Aug 5
- Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Space (R5360) posted Aug 5
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities – Space (R5338) posted Aug 5
- Staff Software Engineer, Perception (R5421) posted Jul 28
- Senior Software Engineer, Perception (R5420) posted Jul 28
- Senior Staff Software Engineer, Perception (R4985) posted Jul 28
- Senior Autonomy Integration Engineer posted Jul 27
- Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Emerging Domains (R5398) posted Jul 21
- Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Emerging Domains (R5401) posted Jul 21
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Emerging Domains (R5423) posted Jul 21
- Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Weapons (R5398) posted Jul 21
- Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Weapons (R5400) posted Jul 21
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Weapons (R5427) posted Jul 21
- Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (R5193) posted Jul 21
- Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (R5208) posted Jul 21
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration – Expeditionary (R5208) posted Jul 21
- Object Detection and Tracking Engineer (R5244) posted Jun 25
- Autonomy Integration Engineer (R5245) posted Jun 25
- Senior Engineer, Autonomy and Motion Planning (R5263) posted Jun 24
- Staff Software Engineer, GCS - Full Stack (R5192) posted Jun 12
- Manager of Engineering - Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5153) posted Jun 11
- Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5208) posted Jun 8
- Senior Staff Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5193) posted Jun 8
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomous Pilot Integration (R5200) posted Jun 8
- Senior Software Engineer, Autonomy Behaviors (R4588) posted Apr 30
- Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Behaviors (R4588) posted Apr 29
- Manager, Software - Perception (R3770) posted Mar 26
- Senior Engineer, Software - Autonomous Aircraft Integration (R5200) posted Aug 15
- Staff Engineer, Software - Autonomous Aircraft Integration (R4983) posted Aug 15
- Senior Staff Engineer, Software - Autonomous Aircraft Integration (R4983) posted Aug 15
- Senior Staff Engineer, Autonomy Behaviors (R5363) posted Aug 15
From the team and dates on Shield AI's own job board.
See Software Engineer salaries in the United States →
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