Senior Staff Systems Security Engineer - Program Protection

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. 

Comp band reflects min for standard range and max for Seattle range.

Job Description

Shield AI is seeking a Senior Staff Systems Security Engineer specializing in Program Protection, Anti-Tamper (AT), and Critical Program Information (CPI) to support the development of next-generation autonomous military aircraft and associated mission systems.

This role will lead the identification and protection of critical technologies through CPI assessments, threat and vulnerability analysis, protection architecture development, and anti-tamper engineering. The engineer will leverage established DoD program protection guidance and engineering frameworks to translate protection objectives into actionable system requirements, evaluate design alternatives, and drive protection measures through implementation and verification.

Working within Systems Engineering & Integrated Test (SEIT), this individual will collaborate with systems engineering, platform engineering, hardware, software, cybersecurity, and Government stakeholders to integrate program protection throughout system development, integration, testing, and fielding.

What You'll Do:

• Program Protection & CPI: Lead CPI identification, criticality assessments, and technical protection strategies utilizing the DoD CPI Horizontal Protection Guide (HPG), including evaluation of organic and inherited CPI and horizontal protection considerations.

• Anti-Tamper Engineering: Lead anti-tamper engineering activities in accordance with the DoD Anti-Tamper Engineering Framework (ATEF), including threat and exploitation analysis, protection requirements, architecture development, design trade studies, and implementation planning.

• Systems Engineering: Define and decompose program protection and anti-tamper requirements into system, subsystem, hardware, and software requirements while maintaining traceability through design implementation and verification.

• Architecture & Integration: Collaborate with systems and platform engineering teams to integrate protection measures across aircraft, mission systems, embedded computing, ground control systems, and supporting equipment.

• Technical Planning: Lead technical development of CPI assessments, Program Protection Implementation Plans (PPIP), Anti-Tamper Plans, protection trade studies, and associated engineering documentation.

• Risk & Trade Analysis: Evaluate protection alternatives based on technical effectiveness, implementation feasibility, cost, system performance, integration complexity, and residual risk.

• Verification & Validation: Develop protection verification criteria and support laboratory evaluations, integration testing, and assessments to demonstrate the effectiveness of implemented protection measures.

• Technical Leadership: Provide subject-matter expertise during SRR, PDR, CDR, and other engineering milestones. Coordinate with Government program protection authorities, suppliers, and internal engineering teams to resolve technical risks and mature protection designs.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, or a related technical field.

• 10+ years of relevant engineering experience in aerospace, defense, embedded systems, systems security engineering, or mission-critical technologies.

• Demonstrated experience in program protection, anti-tamper engineering, critical technology protection, or related systems security engineering disciplines.

• Experience developing system security architectures, technical requirements, engineering design artifacts, and protection implementation approaches.

• Experience with CPI assessments, threat modeling, vulnerability analysis, exploitation risk assessments, or protection trade studies.

• Strong understanding of hardware, firmware, embedded software, and system integration considerations associated with protecting critical technologies.

• protecting critical technologies.

• Experience with systems engineering processes, requirements decomposition, technical risk management, and verification activities.

• Strong technical leadership, analytical, communication, and cross-functional collaboration skills.

• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance and required program access.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience designing, implementing, or verifying anti-tamper protections for military aircraft, weapon systems, autonomous platforms, or embedded mission systems.

• Experience applying the DoD Anti-Tamper Engineering Framework (ATEF) and CPI Horizontal Protection Guide (HPG) to program protection assessments, engineering design, and technical implementation.

• Experience developing Program Protection Plans, Program Protection Implementation Plans, Anti-Tamper Plans, or CPI assessments for DoD programs.

• Familiarity with DoDI 5200.39, DoDD 5200.47E, DoDI 5200.44, NIST SP 800-160, and applicable DoD program protection and systems security engineering guidance.

• Experience with embedded protection technologies, including secure boot, hardware roots of trust, tamper detection and response, secure storage, software protection, and hardware or firmware assurance.

• Experience working with microelectronics, FPGAs, mission computers, or other critical embedded technologies.

• Familiarity with model-based systems engineering (MBSE), SysML, Cameo Systems Modeler, DOORS, and requirements traceability.

• Understanding of supply chain risk management, trusted systems, defense exportability, and technology release considerations.

• Experience coordinating with Government program protection organizations, anti-tamper authorities, and defense industry partners.

• Active Secret or Top Secret clearance; SAP eligibility or prior SAP experience preferred.

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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.