Shield Ai
Direct Ashby career site

Senior Systems Engineer (R6455)

Location
Seattle, WA · On-site
Job type
Full-time
Level
Lead / Staff
Experience
5+ years
Education
Bachelor's degree
Listed
Today

Skills & highlights for this role

  • Systems engineering for aerospace, defense, or autonomous aircraft systems
  • System behavior logic and operational mode definition
  • System architecture and avionics integration
  • MBSE tools (SysML, DOORS, CAMEO, or similar)
  • Group 4 or Group 5 UAS, military aircraft, or autonomous airborne platform experience
  • Flight testing, system integration, and performance validation
  • Knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, MIL-STDs, FAA airworthiness certification, and airborne system safety standards

Also useful

  • Autonomy and AI-driven flight control integration
  • Safety analysis (FHA, FMEA, FTA)
  • DoD stakeholder engagement

What You'll Do

  • Perform System Architecture & Design: Develop and refine the system architecture for the next gen UAS, ensuring seamless integration of avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensor payloads, and mission systems.
  • Define and document system-level behavior, including modes, states, transitions, and fault responses
  • Support safety analyses (FHA, FMEA, FTA) by defining behavior under fault conditions
  • Define and Manage System Requirements: Establish top-level requirements, decompose them into subsystems, and maintain traceability across the development lifecycle.
  • Autonomy & AI Integration: Work closely with autonomy and software teams to integrate AI-driven flight control, decision-making, and mission execution capabilities.
  • Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE): Utilize SysML, DOORS, or other MBSE tools to create digital system models, conduct trade studies, and optimize system performance.
  • Risk Management & Trade Studies: Conduct trade studies to evaluate design alternatives, assess technical risks, and ensure the best engineering solutions for mission effectiveness.
  • Stakeholder & Customer Engagement: Work closely with DoD stakeholders, industry partners, and government agencies to align system capabilities with operational requirements.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with hardware, autonomy, software, propulsion, and flight operations teams to drive seamless system integration and rapid development cycles.

What You'll Bring

  • Required Qualifications:
  • 5+ 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, DOORS, SysML, CAMEO, or similar system modeling tools for complex systems design and analysis.
  • Experience with Group 4 or Group 5 UAS, military aircraft, or autonomous airborne platforms.
  • Strong background in flight testing, system integration, and performance validation.
  • Knowledge of DoD acquisition processes, MIL-STDs, FAA airworthiness certification, and airborne system safety standards.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional teams and drive complex projects to successful completion.
  • Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile development environment with shifting priorities.
  • Worked on developmental program from clean sheet to first flight

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience developing AI-driven autonomy for unmanned aircraft.
  • Expertise in ISR, EW, and advanced sensor integration for airborne platforms.
  • Familiarity with modular open system architectures (MOSA) and Government Reference Architectures (GRA) for defense applications.
  • Prior experience working with defense primes, DoD stakeholders, or government R&D programs.
  • Active Secret clearance (or ability to obtain one).

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.

About Shield Ai

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.

As a Senior Systems Engineer on Shield AI’s next gen UAS program, you will play a pivotal role in designing, developing, and integrating cutting-edge autonomous aircraft systems for national defense. You will lead the technical execution of system architecture, ensuring seamless integration of avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensor payloads, and mission-critical systems.

This position requires a deep understanding of aerospace systems engineering, autonomy, and complex system integration. You will work cross-functionally with teams in hardware, software, autonomy, flight operations, and manufacturing to develop a scalable, mission-ready platform capable of operating in contested environments.

Your expertise will be critical in defining system requirements and architectures through model-based systems engineering, conducting trade studies, ensuring compliance with military and aviation standards, and supporting the aircraft through flight testing and operational deployment.

Read the original posting

From Shield Ai's careers page, first listed on Rolev.ai on November 12, 2026. Rolev.ai is not the employer.

How Rolev.ai helps with this application

Rolev.ai is a job search and application tool for US job seekers. For this Senior Systems Engineer (R6455) role at Shield Ai, it shows how your resume fits, tailors your resume to the posting, and prepares the application for you to review.

  • See how you fit

    Openings from employer career sites are ranked against your whole resume—and searchable inside Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor via Rolev.ai MCP.

  • Tailor without inventing

    Every change to your resume is checked against your original. New experience goes in only with your yes—zero fabricated claims.

  • Draft the full kit

    Tailored and Full Match resumes, role-specific cover letters, and answers to employer screening questions are prepared in seconds.

  • 1-Click Extension Autofill

    The Chrome extension fills the employer's Greenhouse, Workday, Lever, or Ashby form in 1 click. You review it and press Submit.

Common questions

Where is the Senior Systems Engineer (R6455) job at Shield Ai located?

This Senior Systems Engineer (R6455) position at Shield Ai is located in Seattle, WA (On-site). Always check Shield Ai's application page for specific state eligibility or relocation policies.

What qualifications are required for Senior Systems Engineer (R6455) at Shield Ai?

For the Senior Systems Engineer (R6455) role, Shield Ai highlights 5+ years of relevant experience; a bachelor's degree; experience with Systems engineering for aerospace, defense, or autonomous aircraft systems, System behavior logic and operational mode definition, System architecture and avionics integration, MBSE tools (SysML, DOORS, CAMEO, or similar), Group 4 or Group 5 UAS, military aircraft, or autonomous airborne platform experience, Flight testing, system integration, and performance validation. Rolev.ai can score your existing resume against these requirements and show any skill gaps before you apply.

How do I apply for the Senior Systems Engineer (R6455) position at Shield Ai?

This listing links directly to Shield Ai's Ashby application page. You can apply directly on Shield Ai's site, or use Rolev.ai to check your resume fit, generate a zero-hallucination tailored resume and cover letter for this posting, and autofill the Ashby application form in 1 click with the Rolev.ai Chrome extension. You always review the form and press Submit yourself.