Staff Software Engineer, Autonomy Capabilities - Space at Shield AI
Washington
$187,531–$281,297
Aug 4, 2026
Washington
Sep 25, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A Staff-level autonomy engineer focused on the space domain, building capabilities for satellites and missile defense applications — including distributed optimization, automated tasking and scheduling, track fusion, rendezvous/proximity operations, and space vehicle motion planning. The role blends R&D prototyping with rigorous software integration onto real platforms, and involves shaping customer requirements and defining technical approaches for the broader team.
Staff level · 7+ years · San Diego, CA · Secret clearance · Full-time
Pay in the description: $187,531–$281,297
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How this req sits in the market our data
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
Most people in this occupation already list these. Still required — just not what gets you shortlisted.
What the occupation pays Median $166,860 (middle half $131,418–$198,246). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Aug 6, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (9)
The job description lists offices across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific with no single primary location specified. San Diego, CA is used as the CBSA because Shield AI is headquartered there and the space portfolio work is most likely based there; the actual work location may differ.
The experience requirement is stated as a sliding scale tied to degree level (7 years with a Bachelor's, 6 with a Master's, 4 with a PhD, or equivalent). The minimum of 7 years is used for the overall years minimum; no specific degree is hard-required since equivalent experience is explicitly accepted.
The clearance requirement is stated as 'ability to obtain a SECRET clearance or higher' — this is treated as a hard gate since candidates must be clearance-eligible, though an active clearance is not required at time of hire.
The SOC classification is Medium confidence: the role is primarily software development (C++/Python, high-performance modules, TRL insertions), but the heavy emphasis on optimization algorithms, ML/RL, and autonomous decision-making creates genuine overlap with Data Scientists (15-2051).
Simulation tools (AFSIM, NGTS) are listed under Required Qualifications with 'or similar' language; AFSIM is used as the primary skill name with NGTS in alternatives. The 'or similar' qualifier means the specific tool is interchangeable but simulation experience itself is a hard gate.
Tactical behaviors and unmanned systems experience are required but name no specific tool or framework, so they are captured under the broader named skill categories (control systems, motion planning, distributed decision-making) rather than as separate generic entries.
ML/RL and swarm robotics appear under Preferred Qualifications and are marked accordingly.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): motion planning.
Requires a Secret clearance — the cleared population is a small fraction of this occupation, so the real candidate pool is materially smaller than the estimate below, which does not model clearance.
Read the full posting
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