Hiring: Director, Mission Systems Company: Shield AI Location: Dallas County, TX Job Posted Time: 2026-09-12 11:16:00 Target Skills & Keywords : AI, Aerospace Engineering, Program Management, SAP, Security Clearance, Systems Engineering, Top Secret Clearance About the job Experience: •10+ years of experience supporting complex military aircraft, autonomous systems, or other aerospace and defense programs. Required Skills: •Are you a mission-driven engineering leader passionate about developing advanced autonomous aircraft? Do you want to help deliver capabilities that provide decisive advantage in contested environments? Shield AI may be the place for you. •Lead and develop a multidisciplinary organization spanning operational analysis, survivability, communications, and integrated mission systems. •Establish clear priorities, accountability, organizational objectives, and operating rhythms that enable teams to execute effectively. Define technical strategy, capability roadmaps, and investment priorities aligned with aircraft program objectives, customer requirements, and broader business goals. •Oversee the development of integrated mission-system architectures encompassing sensors, payloads, avionics, weapons, secure communications, autonomy, and aircraft survivability. •Direct modeling, simulation, wargaming, and system-of-systems analysis to evaluate mission effectiveness, operational performance, emerging threats, and aircraft design alternatives. •Lead cross-functional trade studies that balance mission capability, survivability, technical risk, cost, schedule, manufacturability, and program maturity. •Ensure disciplined execution from requirements definition and architecture development through hardware-in-the-loop testing, signature validation, flight test, certification, and fielding. •Partner with engineering, product, program management, business development, and aircraft leadership to deliver integrated and mission-relevant capabilities. Qualifications: •Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, mathematics, or another relevant technical discipline. •Demonstrated experience leading and developing a multidisciplinary engineering organization that includes people managers and senior technical leaders. •Broad working knowledge across multiple relevant disciplines, including mission systems, operational analysis, modeling and simulation, survivability, secure communications, avionics, sensors, payloads, or weapons integration. •Proven ability to balance mission performance and engineering requirements with cost, schedule, product maturity, and business priorities. •Executive-level communication skills with demonstrated success influencing customers, operators, business leaders, engineering teams, and government stakeholders. U.S. citizenship with an active Secret security clearance and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret clearance and required SAP/SAR accesses. •Master’s degree or PhD in aerospace engineering, systems engineering, electrical engineering, or a related technical discipline. •Leadership experience on military UAS, advanced autonomous aircraft, collaborative combat aircraft, or fifth-generation fighter programs involving integrated mission systems and survivability. •Demonstrated success advancing a product or major capability from customer shaping and early concept development through acquisition, integration, flight test, validation, and tactical deployment. •Solid functional working knowledge of model-based systems engineering and SysML, DoD acquisition and JCIDS processes, electronic warfare, low-observable communications, and AI-enabled sensors or payloads. •Active Top Secret clearance with SCI eligibility and experience supporting classified DoD or Intelligence Community programs. Compensation: •$225,000 - $340,000 / year Interested candidates, please apply directly through the job posting on company's career page or try via AI auto apply on this platform. Don't miss this opportunity to join a forward-thinking team!