Staff Systems Engineer

Job overview

The Staff Systems Engineer is an onsite role in Washington, DC, with an annual salary range of $144,000–$210,000, plus bonus, benefits, and equity for regular full-time employees. The engineer supports Shield AI’s next-generation unmanned aircraft systems program, part of the company’s mission to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. The role leads system architecture and integration across avionics, autonomy, propulsion, sensors, and mission systems. It contributes to a scalable, mission-ready aircraft platform by defining requirements and system behavior, conducting trade studies and safety analyses, and supporting flight testing and operational deployment.

What you'll do

• Develop and refine system architecture for the next-generation UAS
• define system-level behavior, modes, states, transitions, and fault responses
• support safety analyses
• establish and decompose system requirements and maintain traceability
• integrate AI-driven flight control and mission capabilities with autonomy and software teams
• use MBSE tools for system models and trade studies
• assess design alternatives and technical risks
• engage DoD stakeholders, industry partners, and government agencies
• collaborate across hardware, autonomy, software, propulsion, and flight operations teams.

What we're looking for

Skills & competencies

staff systems engineer

systems engineering

uas

aerospace

system architecture

avionics

autonomy

mbse

flight testing

washington dc

shield ai

$144k–$210k/year

Work arrangement

• Weekend coverage required

Benefits & perks

• Bonus and equity for regular full-time employees
• medical, dental, vision, and prescription coverage
• paid time off and 11 paid holidays
• 401(k)
• tuition assistance
• professional training and certifications
• HSA contributions
• company-paid life and disability coverage.

Why this role

Staff-level systems engineering role on a next-generation UAS program; experience with Group 4 or Group 5 UAS or autonomous airborne platforms is required; security clearance is desired or may be obtainable.

About the employer

Shield AI is hiring for this role. Industry: Engineering Services. Sector: 54.