Modelling and Simulation Lead

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 www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube. 

Working in our Hivemind Solutions team you will lead the Modelling and Simulation capability for our Australian based Mission Autonomy programs. You will be responsible for developing and integrating the simulation and test environments which our autonomy engineers use to develop, test and demonstrate Mission Autonomy solutions for uncrewed aircraft.  

In this role, you will guide multidisciplinary engineering teams in designing, implementing, and integrating high‑performance real-time and faster than real-time simulation frameworks across distributed, containerized, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop environments.

Your work will directly support key customer programs, internal R&D, and mission‑critical autonomy development—ensuring our simulation ecosystem is robust, scalable, and operationally representative. 

What You'll do:

• Simulation Architecture Leadership – Lead the design and evolution of distributed, real‑time simulation systems that support autonomy development, verification, and validation across virtual, constructive, and live environments.

• High‑Performance Software Development – Architect and implement C++,  software for modelling, simulation, and integration workflows, while maintaining compatibility with legacy standards for seamless system interoperability.

• Real-Time & Distributed Simulation – Develop, optimize, and deploy software for real‑time mission execution environments, including multi‑agent scenarios and high‑fidelity system-of-systems simulations.  

• Simulation Framework Integration – Apply practical experience with defence simulation frameworks such as AFSIM or NGTS to accelerate capability delivery and ensure alignment with defence customer expectations.

• Containerized Deployment – Leverage Docker, Kubernetes or similar technologies to ensure repeatable, scalable, and modular simulation deployments across development, CI, and operational environments.

• Technical & Project Leadership – Lead engineering teams of 5+ contributors, ensuring alignment across software, test, autonomy, perception, and program stakeholders. Drive quality, delivery, and technical excellence.

• Collaboration & Delivery – Work closely with cross-functional teams to integrate simulation with autonomy algorithms, hardware interfaces, and test pipelines, enabling rapid experimentation, regression testing, and mission readiness.

• Innovation & Continuous Improvement – Champion best practices in CI/CD, test‑driven development, design patterns, and system architecture. Explore and adopt modern technologies to expand modelling and simulation capabilities. 

Qualifications:

• A tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field

• Extensive professional experience in software engineering and systems integration

• Strong experience in modern C++ with familiarity across legacy standards

• Professional experience with Python

• Significant experience building and delivering reliable software systems in fast‑paced environments

• Experience leading teams to deliver complex engineering projects

• Experience with real‑time, distributed simulation systems or HWIL/SWIL environments

• Experience with containerization technologies (Docker or equivalent)

• Experience working in Linux development environments

• Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems quickly and effectively

• Proven history of strong collaboration, accountability, and being a trusted and kind teammate

• Ability to obtain an Australian NV1 security clearance 

Preferred qualifications:  

• Defence industry experience

• Experience with uncrewed systems, particularly in the air domain

• Experience with AFSIM, NGTS, or equivalent defence simulation tools

• Experience with data processing, analysis pipelines, or test automation workflows, especially those using Python 

Eligibility

• Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems, and this role supports that mission directly by working with Australian Government classified material. It requires an Australian Government security clearance at [Baseline / NV1 / NV2] level. 

• You don't need to hold a clearance already, we will sponsor your clearance and support you, because mission first, people always. Australian citizenship is a mandatory requirement for this role. It is a condition of clearance eligibility set by the Australian Government, eligibility details are here: https://www.agsva.gov.au/applicants/eligibility-suitability 

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.

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, colour, 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.