About Shield AI      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 jets (F-16; MQM-178 Firejet), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (MQ-35 V-BAT), and three quadcopters (Nova, Nova 2, iPRD). 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.
As a Principal Engineer of Software Safety at Shield AI, you will build and lead a small team of experts to shape the future of safe and reliable AI Pilots across a diverse set of platforms. You will partner with our customer Safety community and internal leaders across hardware, software, GNC and Systems engineering to pioneer the future architecture and framework of Autonomy. The right person for this role has knowledge of design, development, test, analysis, software maintenance/sustainment, and continuous improvement. If you are someone who has hands-on experience throughout the entire new product development life cycle from concept to customer delivery, loves to be on the cutting edge, work with many multi-disciplinary teams, then this role is for you.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Evolve Shield AI’s Software and System Safety Approach
• Develop AI certification plan and support design of Run Time Assurance stack
• Present results of system safety analyses to external parties including FAA licensing individuals and DoD Safety community
• Clearly communicate technical risks to the executive leadership team
• Support Design & Development Engineers as a critical partner in Functional Hazard Analysis (FHA) and Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) exercises at system level, and sub-system level for complex aircraft and ground systems
• Support the Design Requirements Process as a Subject Matter Expert to ensure teams adhere to Safety best practices and triage proactive hazard mitigations
• Support Systems Integration and Test with Qualification Test Plan Development for new products
• Support Development Milestone Reviews such as PDR, CDR, QDR representing SAI Safety
• Host regular corrective action reviews to ensure lessons learned are communicated with all stakeholders, and that all actions have been implemented in a timely manner

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Minimum of 12+ years Industry Experience as a Software Engineer, Flight Controls Engineer, or System Safety Engineer
• B.S. Degree in Engineering
• Aircraft, Spacecraft, or UAV Operations Experience
• Experience with MIL-STD-1629, MIL-STD-882, DO-178
• Experience working on Advanced Hardware and Software Systems
• An active security clearance (Secret, Top Secret, TS with SCI)
• This role requires an onsite presence at our HQ in San Diego, CA, Frisco, TX, or Crystal City, VA

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

• Experience with Functional Hazard Analysis, Fault Tree Analysis, System Safety Analysis, Root Cause Analysis Methodologies, Corrective action management, Hazard Management, and Risk management
• Experience with US and International Customers
• M.S. Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or Systems Engineering
• Modeling/CAD Experience
• Electrical Engineering Familiarity with schematics, best practices, and industry guidelines for Reliability
• Technical writing experience developing standards, specifications, user guides, and policies
• Requirements drafting experience for Software & Hardware

Total package details for U.S. based positions: - Regular employee positions: Salary within range listed above + Bonus + Benefits + Equity - Temporary employee positions: Hourly within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment) - Interns/Military Fellows/Part-time not eligible for bonus, benefits or equity
Total package details for International based positions (where applicable): - International premium, hardship differential, cost of living differential, living quarters allowance, foreign service transfer allowance, equity, international benefits, visa assistance, and relocation assistance.
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.
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.