# Staff Engineer, Aircraft Trajectory Modeling (R5787) at Shield AI

- Company: Shield AI
- What the company does: Autonomy for the world. Backed by a16z.
- Company website: https://shield.ai
- Type: Startups (AI role)
- Level: Senior
- Location: San Diego, California
- Work setup: On-site
- Pay: $200K to $300K base salary per year (USD)
- Posted: 2026-09-26
- Apply by: 2026-11-10
- Apply: https://jobs.lever.co/shieldai/16e2e233-4fed-463d-bc14-a69af7681737
- Page: https://www.1752.vc/careers/jobs/shield-ai-staff-engineer-aircraft-trajectory-modeling-r5787/

## About the role

As a senior member of the Hivemind Foundations team, you will lead applied trajectory prediction and aircraft-response modeling for the RTA. You will work at the boundary between safety logic, vehicle state, and autopilot or flight-control APIs, turning aircraft performance data, command-response assumptions, and test evidence into predictive models that guide safe recovery behavior.

## What they're looking for

- Typically requires a minimum of 7 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree, or 6 years with a Master’s degree, or 4 years with a PhD, or equivalent work experience
- Deep experience in trajectory prediction, aircraft-response modeling, aerospace simulation, robotics, applied autonomy, or GNC-adjacent domains, including 3DOF and/or 6DOF aircraft modeling concepts
- Expert-level Python skills for algorithm development, numerical analysis, data processing, plotting, tuning workflows, and test automation
- Working proficiency in C or C++, with the ability to read production code, debug algorithm behavior, write tests, make scoped implementation changes, and guide software engineers through algorithm intent
- Demonstrated experience interfacing guidance, trajectory, or safety-critical algorithms with off-the-shelf or custom autopilots and validating behavior through simulation, HIL, flight hardware, or flight-test data
- Ability to document model assumptions, handoff artifacts, and validation evidence while leading technical coordination across algorithms, software, systems, test, and platform teams

Tags: Foundations