Staff Engineer, Software, GCS - C++ (R5189)

Founded in 2015, 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 and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. 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 Ground Control Station (GCS) and Command & Control (C2) Software team builds the mission planning, command & control, and post-mission debrief systems that enable operators to seamlessly manage complex, multi-domain unmanned missions. We combine deep desktop application development, modern map-centric interfaces, robust backend integrations, and platform-specific control protocols to deliver a world-class operator experience across air, maritime, space, and effects/expendables. In this role, you will focus on building Ground Control Station software, advanced mission planners, post-mission debrief utilities, and general C2 interfaces. You will work across C++, Qt/QML, QGroundControl (QGC), and full-stack technologies to translate autonomous platform capabilities into intuitive, low-latency, and highly reliable control systems.

In this role, you will design and develop major GCS features, mentor mid-level engineers, and represent the GCS/C2 team directly to autonomy capability teams, flight operations, and external partners. It's a hands-on role for engineers who enjoy designing user-facing controls and mission-critical systems and want to see their code drive complex real-world operations.

BS/MS in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.

Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 6 years and a Master’s degree; or 4 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.

Strong proficiency in C++, with experience developing complex, multi-threaded, or latency-sensitive desktop applications.

Experience building responsive user interfaces using Qt/QML (or similar modern UI frameworks).

Hands-on experience customizing, extending, or building with QGroundControl (QGC) or similar open-source/proprietary ground station software.

Experience full-stack or building backend in C/C++, Python, TypeScript, or Go, including service orchestration, command/status interfaces, and data pipelines between UI, ground services, and vehicle-side components.

Deep familiarity with networked and distributed systems, including UDP/TCP transport, custom binary protocols, reliable messaging, pub-sub/IPC middleware, and serialization/IDL tooling.

Experience using AI-assisted development tools to accelerate software design, implementation, debugging, testing, and code review while maintaining strong engineering judgment, validation discipline, and ownership of final technical decisions.

Demonstrated experience owning a major software capability or system from architecture through field delivery.

Track record of mentoring engineers and growing technical talent.

Experience authoring or negotiating interface contracts, schemas, or ICDs with internal or external stakeholders.

Strong debugging and profiling skills, including diagnosing memory leaks, UI responsiveness bottlenecks, and network latency issues.

Ability to obtain a SECRET clearance.

Experience with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), map rendering engines (e.g., Mapbox, Cesium, Esri, QGC Map Engine), and 2D/3D spatial data visualization.

Familiarity with video streaming protocols and multimedia frameworks (e.g., RTSP, WebRTC, GStreamer, H.264/H.265 video codecs).

Experience developing post-mission telemetry analysis, log parsing, or interactive playback/debrief systems.

Familiarity with containerization (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and deploying C2 services to local, edge, or cloud environments.

Experience with platform control / autopilot protocols (e.g., MAVLink, STANAG 4586) or DoD C2 standards (e.g., A-GRA, UCI, OMS).

Experience working closely with flight operators, pilots, or military stakeholders to gather feedback and refine user workflows.

Active Secret or Top Secret clearance.

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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.