Senior Software Engineer – Localization and State Estimation (R3123)

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Boston, Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, YouTube and Instagram.

Join Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy team, where we are pushing the boundaries of assured navigation and autonomous flight. As a Senior Engineer, you will play a critical role in designing, developing, integrating, testing, and deploying cutting-edge navigation and state estimation algorithms within our Hivemind SDK. We are seeking engineers with a strong foundation in state estimation theory and practical experience deploying robust, real-time solutions in commercial robotics, SLAM, or related autonomy applications.

What you'll do:

• Research and develop state-of-the-art state estimation and navigation algorithms to enable resilient autonomy in challenging GPS-denied environments.
• Design and deploy production-grade C++ software for embedded robotic systems operating in dynamic, real-world environments.
• Build and maintain rigorous unit, integration, and system-level tests to ensure system robustness and safety.
• Develop and enhance modeling, calibration, and simulation tools for inertial and vision-based navigation systems.
• Contribute to roadmap planning, feature decomposition, and agile execution alongside a multidisciplinary team of autonomy engineers.
• Continuously enhance performance analysis, benchmarking, and validation pipelines to drive rapid innovation and improvement.

Required Qualifications:

• M.S. in Aerospace Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Robotics, Computer Science or a related field; Minimum 2+ years of related professional work experience if you have an M.S degree or 0 years if you have a new Ph.D graduate.
• Professional proficiency in modern C++ (C++11 or newer) and strong object-oriented design skills.
• Hands-on experience deploying low-latency C++ applications to embedded Linux platforms.
• Professional experience designing and implementing state estimation algorithms (e.g., EKF, UKF, Graph-based optimization).
• Familiarity with VIO, SLAM, or multi-sensor fusion frameworks (e.g., gtsam, Ceres, OpenVINS).
• Strong working knowledge of CI pipelines and automated testing frameworks for C++.
• Ability to independently deploy high-reliability code suitable for real-world autonomous systems.
• Familiarity with prototyping in Python or MATLAB is welcome, but this role demands professional C++ production deployment skills. Candidates whose primary experience is in MATLAB or Python are unlikely to find this position a good fit.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Deep understanding of graph-based optimization for state estimation.
• Experience developing vision-aided inertial navigation systems (VINS, VIO).
• Experience with navigation sensor calibration (IMU, GPS, barometers, magnetometers, laser altimeters).
• Experience in benchmarking and system validation for real-world navigation performance.

Note:

• Candidates will be asked to complete a practical C++ coding exercise as part of the interview process to demonstrate advanced proficiency in software design and system implementation.

$160,000 - $240,000 a year

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.

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.