Staff Engineer, Simulation (R3990) (TX/SD/Bos)

JOB DESCRIPTION:

The Software Integration & Operations (SIO) group turns frontier autonomy into mission-ready aircraft. We own the commit-to-flight pipeline—deterministic simulation at cluster scale, HIL/VIL integration, CI/CD, automated testing, and release engineering. Our goal is simple: make AI fly—safely, repeatably, and fast.

As a Staff Simulation Engineer, you will be dedicated to Shield AI’s next-generation aircraft program, adopting our existing infrastructure to advance new capabilities. You’ll design, build, and scale C++-based simulation tools that test and validate the full aircraft software stack—from autonomy to avionics—before it ever flies. Your simulation infrastructure will enable developers to test faster, system engineers to evaluate performance earlier, and release engineers to ship with confidence.

WHAT YOU'LL DO:

Build and scale simulation frameworks for integrated testing of autonomy, GNC, and embedded systems in C++.

Design deterministic, high-performance simulation tools capable of faster-than-real-time execution for development, testing, and release.

Integrate core physics, dynamics, and system models (aerodynamics, propulsion, controls) into a unified simulation environment.

Collaborate across autonomy, embedded, GNC, and test engineering to ensure the simulation mirrors real aircraft behavior and mission scenarios.

Develop infrastructure for CI integration, parallel simulation execution, and automated regression testing.

Profile, optimize, and validate C++ codebases for performance, determinism, and fidelity.

Contribute to architecture decisions that define the next generation of aircraft simulation tools within Shield AI.

Mentor engineers and guide best practices in C++, simulation architecture, and performance engineering.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

BS or MS in Computer Science, Aerospace, Robotics, or related field.

8+ years of experience in software development, with emphasis on modern C++ (C++17 or later) and performance optimization.

Proven experience developing or integrating simulation systems for robotics, aerospace, or autonomous systems.

Strong grasp of real-time and deterministic software design, including multi-threading, synchronization, and memory management.

Understanding of rigid-body dynamics, kinematics, and basic flight mechanics.

Familiarity with DevOps-integrated simulation workflows, including CI/CD and containerized environments.

Ability to debug complex build and runtime environments (CMake, dependency management, logging, profiling tools).

Strong collaboration and communication skills across software, hardware, and systems disciplines.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:

Experience with distributed or cloud-based simulation (e.g., cluster orchestration, Kubernetes).

Working knowledge of Python for data analysis, test automation, or simulation orchestration.

Familiarity with sensor and actuator modeling, and integrating avionics or autonomy software within simulation.

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