Heron Systems, Inc. (A Shield AI Company)

Engineer II, Software - Autonomous Pilot Integration - New Grad - 6127

Location: Washington, DC
Type: Full time
Compensation: USD 136,000–204,000
Posted: 16D AGO

About the role

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 Autonomous Pilot Integration team builds and maintains the reusable core pilot and turns Hivemind SDK, Perception, and Autonomy Capabilities components into working mission solutions for programs and platforms. We develop reusable and mission-specific behaviors, validate autonomy-side interfaces, and work with Integration & Test and platform teams on platform enablement, deployment foundations, and independent system-test evidence.

As an Engineer II, you will own bounded program-specific autonomy changes through implementation, test, and handoff. You will troubleshoot moderately defined integration problems, escalate architecture or safety decisions, and coordinate across teams for the work assigned to you. Senior engineers retain accountability for overall program autonomy design and release readiness.

What you'll do
* Implement and test C++ changes to mission behavior, platform-specific pilot extensions, configuration, and autonomy-side diagnostics.
* Develop and apply supported core pilot behaviors for a defined platform or mission set; bring reusable improvements back into the team's pilot baseline.
* Validate autonomy use of vehicle-control, perception, mission-compute, and C2 interfaces using established contracts; implement an assigned adapter only when ownership is explicit.
* Build unit, integration, and mission-scenario tests; reproduce and debug behavior or interface issues using logs, telemetry, and simulation.
* Support SIL/HIL, bench, and representative test events; capture evidence of mission behavior and verify fixes with guidance from a program technical lead.
* Coordinate platform-interface and deployment issues with Integration & Test or platform owners, and work with the Autonomy Capabilities team on defects or enhancements to shared planning and decision-making capabilities.
* Document mission configuration, limitations, test procedures, and lessons learned for future program work.

We are seeking Autonomous Software Engineers for full-time roles starting in 2027! This is a paid, in-person, full-time position for students graduating during the 2026-2027 academic year. We are now reviewing applications for positions starting after graduation in 2027.

Required Qualifications

Preferred Qualifications

Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience. 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.

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Engineer II, Software - Autonomous Pilot Integration - New Grad - 6127

About the role

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Preferred Qualifications

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