About the role
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 and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai . Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn , X , Instagram , and YouTube . Job Description: As a Senior Staff Engineer in Modelling and Simulation, you will lead the development, integration, and operationalisation of simulation capabilities that enable Hivemind Mission Autonomy programs in Australia. You will architect, implement, and maintain high‑performance, real‑time and faster‑than‑real‑time simulation environments used by autonomy, perception, and systems engineering teams to design, test, and demonstrate cutting‑edge uncrewed aircraft mission autonomy. This role involves significant technical leadership, cross‑functional collaboration, and delivery of complex simulation frameworks that support both customer programs and internal R&D. You will directly contribute to scalable, operationally representative simulation ecosystems that underpin mission‑critical software development. \n
What you'll do: Lead the architecture, design, and evolution of distributed, real‑time simulation systems across virtual, constructive, and live environments. Architect and implement high‑performance C++ software for modelling, simulation, integration workflows, and system interoperability, including compatibility with legacy standards. Develop and optimise real‑time and distributed simulation software supporting multi‑agent scenarios, high‑fidelity environments, and system‑of‑systems simulations. Integrate defence simulation frameworks such as AFSIM or NGTS to accelerate delivery and ensure alignment with defence customer expectations. Design and deliver containerised simulation deployments using technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes for development, CI, testing, and operational environments. Provide technical and project leadership to engineering teams of 5+ contributors across software, autonomy, perception, test, and program functions. Collaborate closely with cross‑functional teams to connect simulation with autonomy algorithms, hardware interfaces, and automated test pipelines. Drive innovation and continuous improvement in CI/CD, test‑driven development, software architecture, and simulation tooling. Support key customer programs by delivering robust, validated, and scalable simulation environments. Required