Jobless Developer
Shield AI logo
Shield AI

Posted 2 months ago

Open

Engineering Lead, Autonomy Software (R4705)

MelbourneOn-siteFull-time

AI Summary

Lead the development of autonomy software for unmanned systems, guiding multidisciplinary teams from algorithm design to field testing and deployment.

About this role

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the 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:

Lead the development of cutting-edge autonomy software that enables unmanned systems to operate intelligently in complex, real-world environments. In this role, you will guide multidisciplinary teams to design, build, and deploy high-performance autonomy solutions—from algorithm development to system integration and field testing. Working at the intersection of robotics, aerospace, and software engineering, you’ll drive mission-critical capabilities from concept to flight, delivering resilient, scalable systems that perform in dynamic and contested conditions.

What you'll do:

  • Multidisciplinary Team Leadership – Lead teams across autonomy, integration, and testing by aligning technical efforts, resolving cross-functional challenges, and driving mission-focused execution. Balance hands-on technical oversight with performance optimization, innovation, and clear stakeholder communication.
  • Tactical Autonomy Design – Design tactical autonomy algorithms to enable unmanned aircraft to perform complex missions across air, land, and sea domains with minimal human supervision.
  • High-Performance Software Development – Develop high-performance software modules that incorporate planning, decision-making, and behavior execution strategies for dynamic and adversarial environments.
  • Behavior Architecture Implementation – Implement and test behavior architectures that enable multi-agent coordination, target engagement, reconnaissance, and survivability in contested scenarios.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration – Collaborate with cross-functional teams including perception, planning, simulation, hardware, and flight test to ensure seamless integration of autonomy solutions on real-world platforms.
  • Deployment & Field Testing – Deploy autonomy capabilities to real platforms and participate in field tests and flight demos, validating performance in operationally relevant conditions.

    • Required qualifications:

  • A tertiary level qualification in Computer Science, Mechatronics, Software Engineering, Robotics or a related field
  • Significant professional experience in robotics, autonomy, perception or aerospace systems
  • Strong experience in modern C++
  • Experience leading teams to delivery engineering projects
  • Significant experience in building and delivering reliable software systems, ideally in fast-paced environments

    • Preferred qualifications:

  • Prior experience with uncrewed systems, especially in the air domain
  • Defence industry experience
  • Significant experience in one or more of the following domains:* State Estimation
  • Real-Time Systems
  • Guidance, Navigation and Control
  • Path Planning

    • Skills

    Behavior ExecutionC++Decision MakingFlight TestGuidance Navigation And ControlHardware IntegrationHigh-performance Software DevelopmentMulti-agent CoordinationPath PlanningPerceptionPlanningReal-time SystemsReconnaissanceRoboticsSimulationState EstimationSurvivabilityTarget Engagement

    Explore related jobs

    More jobs at Shield AI

    Similar Behavior Execution jobs

    Jobs in Melbourne

    Browse these categories

    C++ JobsRobotics JobsJobs in MelbourneJobs in Australia