Engineer I, GNC (R4003)
Shield AI
Dallas, TX, USA
Posted on Oct 22, 2025
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 nine 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.
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown a fighter jet (F-16), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (V-BAT), and a quadcopter (Nova). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI’s products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies.
The GNC team focuses on researching and developing state-of-the-art algorithms that drive high-performance flight for the VBAT and XBAT, both vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft. As a Controls Engineer on this team, you’ll work on an agile, mission-driven, and values-focused team grounded in first principles to push the boundaries of the state-of-the-art.
WHAT YOU’LL DO:
- Design, develop, and optimize flight control systems for a family of advanced unmanned VTOL vehicles
- Execute simulations and real-world tests of VTOL vehicles
- Extract linear aircraft state space models from nonlinear models
- Update system models leveraging system identification techniques, both offline and online
- Root-cause, triage, and resolve flight control system defects
- Improve test infrastructure, including improvements to unit test coverage, simulation fidelity, analysis tools, etc.
- Support roadmapping and planning for next-generation flight control systems
- Work with hardware teams to design and select servos, propulsion systems, inertial navigation systems, air data units, vision-based navigation systems, etc.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- BS or higher in Aerospace, Aeronautical, Mechanical, Electrical, or Software Engineering with a focus on Control Systems
- Experience tuning and optimizing control systems in simulation and real-world for stability and performance
- Experience with C++ in a production environment
- Experience with data analysis tools
- Passion for solving complex problems in a fast-moving environment
- Demonstrated record of working hard, strong communication skills, being a trustworthy teammate, and being kind to others
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Two years or more of professional experience in the area of robotics, vehicle dynamics modeling, aircraft flight controls, or simulation
- Experience with C++ 17 or newer
- Familiarity with git, bash, Python
- Familiarity with best practices for software engineering, such as test-driven development, continuous integration & delivery, containerization, etc.
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.
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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.