Senior Director of Avionics Engineering (R3401)

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech 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 Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.

Job Description:

Shield AI is redefining autonomous aviation with cutting-edge AI and GPS/RF-denied navigation technologies. Now, we're building a next-generation aircraft like no other-one that will push the boundaries of innovation and performance.

We're looking for a Senior Director of Avionics to take ownership of all aspects of the avionics system and lead our engineering team from concept to production. If you thrive in fast-paced environments, excel in cross-functional leadership, and are passionate about building high-performance avionics, we want to hear from you.

What You'll Do

• Lead the end-to-end development of avionics systems across aircraft platforms, from concept through flight test and production.
• Architect and guide the integration of flight computers, mission processors, navigation systems, RF communications, and payload interfaces.
• Develop robust, GPS-/RF-denied navigation solutions integrating INS, visual odometry, radar-aided systems, and other sensors.
• Build and manage a high-performing multi-disciplinary engineering team (EE, embedded SW, RF, systems, test).
• Ensure avionics meet performance, safety, environmental, and EMI/EMC compliance standards, including DO-254, DO-178C, MIL-STD-810, and MIL-STD-461.
• Collaborate across autonomy, software, airframe, and manufacturing teams to ensure cohesive and high-performance system integration.
• Drive technical planning, supplier decisions, and make/buy strategies for avionics subsystems.
• Lead design reviews, system validation, failure analysis, and flight test readiness.

Avionics Architecture & Design

• System-level avionics architecture (modular, redundant, SWaP-optimized)
• Distributed computing/networking (e.g., Ethernet, CAN, ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553)
• Sensor and payload integration (e.g., EO/IR, radar, SIGINT, LIDAR)
• Proven experience designing and leading complex avionics systems architecture
• Expertise in distributed computing and avionics data buses (e.g., Ethernet, CAN, ARINC 429, MIL-STD-1553)
• Integration of mission and flight computers, navigation systems, radios, and payload interfaces

Flight Computers & Embedded Systems

• Selection/design of mission and flight control computers
• Real-time embedded systems (RTOS, bare-metal, or Linux-based)
• Board bring-up, BSP development, and hardware/software co-design

Power & Signal Integrity

• Power distribution for avionics systems (28VDC, high-reliability power supplies)
• EMI/EMC design and testing (MIL-STD-461)
• Signal integrity for high-speed digital buses (e.g., PCIe, Ethernet)

Software Engineering Knowledge

• DO-178C software lifecycle concepts
• Avionics middleware (e.g., DDS, ROS 2, custom pub/sub frameworks)
• Cybersecurity for embedded and avionics systems (air gap, encryption, secure boot)

Leadership-Oriented Technical Skills

• Technical roadmap planning and architecture evolution
• Make/buy decisions for avionics and COTS components
• Supplier management (technical performance, quality, delivery)
• Cost, schedule, and risk tradeoffs in technical planning
• Mentorship and team technical upskilling

$241,594 - $362,390 a year

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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.

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.