a16z Principal Engineer, State Estimation (Dallas, TX)
Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit . Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
As a Principal State Estimation Engineer, you will play a key role driving the development, optimization, and deployment of advanced sensor fusion algorithms for autonomous UAV navigation in dynamic and contested environments. You will design and implement real-time sensor processing pipelines, integrate multi-sensor data for robust navigation and state estimation, and collaborate closely with autonomy researchers, software engineers, and hardware teams to ensure seamless system performance.
Your expertise will contribute to transitioning cutting-edge research into deployable solutions, helping Shield AI push the boundaries of UAV autonomy and situational awareness.
What you'll do:
- Develop and implement advanced state estimation algorithms, including inertial navigation, sensor fusion, and alternative navigation techniques for denied environments.
- Design and optimize state estimation frameworks to integrate data from IMUs, GNSS receivers, visual odometry, magnetometers, barometers, and radar systems.
- Build real-time sensor processing pipelines for UAV platforms, focusing on robustness, accuracy, and failover performance.
- Collaborate with autonomy, software, and hardware teams to ensure seamless integration of state estimation components within larger autonomous systems.
- Lead simulation, lab testing, and field validation of state estimation algorithms to assess performance under varying operational conditions.
- Stay on the forefront of navigation and state estimation innovation—adapting emerging technologies and research into deployable, mission-ready solutions.
Required qualifications:
- Typically requires a minimum of 12 years of relevant experience with a bachelor’s degree; or 10 years with a master’s degree; or a PhD with 8 years of experience; or equivalent practical experience.
- Deep experience developing real-time navigation and/or sensor fusion algorithms with IMUs, GPS, and other sensors.
- Strong understanding of state estimation techniques (e.g., Kalman filters, extended and unscented variants, particle filters, etc.).
- Proficiency with C++11 or newer; experience with real-time operating environments.
- Comfort with Linux, scripting, and standard development tools.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills; ability to work across engineering disciplines and with external partners.
- Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed expectations in a fast-paced environment.
- You have a demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience developing and implementing inertial navigation solutions for GPS-denied or degraded environments.
- Knowledge of computer vision techniques
- Proficiency in optimizing algorithms for compute-constrained systems
- Experience with CUDA or other hardware acceleration technologies (e.g. FPGAs)
- Proven track record of transitioning from R&D to production
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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.
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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.