Staff Engineer, Modelling and Simulation (R6248)

San Diego · USD 150,000-230,000 / year · Onsite · Posted Oct 17, 2026

At a glance

Shield AI is seeking a Staff Engineer for Modelling and Simulation in San Diego to grow the simulation framework's ecosystem.

Grow the simulation framework’s ecosystem by integrating existing simulators and established standards, and by build new ones where needs are identified.
Build reusable Monte Carlo infrastructure for parameterization, execution, reproducibility, and collection of results across large simulation campaigns.
Develop multithreaded and multi-process simulation capabilities, addressing synchronization, timing, state exchange, and performance.
Partner with autonomy, GNC, and RTA engineers as well as operators in the field to translate evaluation needs into simulation interfaces and infrastructure.
Support platform specific performance validation using physics models (e.g, 6DoF, 3DoF, etc.).
Set technical direction, lead design reviews, and mentor engineers in simulation architecture and production software development.

Strong proficiency in C++, with demonstrated experience designing, implementing, and maintaining production performance-critical software.
Demonstrated experience building and running multithreaded/multiprocess real-time simulations involving aircraft dynamics.
Experience both developing Monte Carlo infrastructure and using it to design, execute, and analyze simulation campaigns.
Demonstrated ability to drive technical decisions, mentor engineers, and collaborate across software and domain engineering teams.

Experience developing software/simulation under a defined V&V lifecycle
Experience supporting airworthiness certification efforts, including developing simulation evidence for verification, validation, and safety assessment (e.g., DO-178C, MIL-HDBK-516C).
Strong Python skills for simulation tooling, experiment automation, and analysis.
Experience with distributed simulation and model interoperability standards such as HLA, DIS, and FMI/FMU.
Experience with industry-standard simulation tools such as JSBSim, FlightGear, X-Plane, Gazebo, Isaac Sim, or Simulink, or equivalent environments.
Experience with closed-loop autonomy simulation, including sensor inputs and interfaces between autonomy and the simulated environment.
Experience with uncertainty modeling, statistical analysis, and scenario coverage for Monte Carlo evaluation.
Testing / Operating Safety Critical Software (e.g., DO-178C)