Job brief: Director, Mission Systems

What JoRoute checked · Checked by JoRoute

• Listed on Shield AI's own job board. JoRoute does not take listings from job ads or recruiters.
• First seen by JoRoute 2026-11-04 (4 days ago); last confirmed on the board 2026-11-08.
• The apply link opens jobs.lever.co, the address Shield AI's board gives for this job.
• No other listing with this title and place on this board in the last 90 days.
• No layoff notices (WARN) under this name in the state files JoRoute reads.

What the listing says · Employer's own words, not checked

• Pay: $225,000 to $340,000 a year
• Job type: Full-time
• Where: Washington, D.C. · Dallas, Texas · Seattle, Washington +1
• Posted: 2026-09-11

What the job asks · Employer's own words, not checked

Level: Manager. The title says "Director".

Must have

• This individual need not be a subject-matter expert in every discipline but must understand how operational analysis, survivability, communications, payloads, avionics, autonomy, …
• Ensure disciplined execution from requirements definition and architecture development through hardware-in-the-loop testing, signature validation, flight test, certification, and …
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, science, mathematics, or another relevant technical discipline.
• 10+ years of experience supporting complex military aircraft, autonomous systems, or other aerospace and defense programs.
• Experience overseeing complex aircraft capabilities across the product lifecycle—from requirements and architecture through integration, test, certification, fielding, and sustain…
• 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.

Main duties

• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary organization spanning communications, and integrated mission systems.
• 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 tes…
• Partner with engineering, product, program management, business development, and aircraft leadership to deliver integrated and mission-relevant capabilities.
• Ensure compliance with applicable system-safety, airworthiness, cybersecurity, security, and certification requirements.

Lines copied from the posting, not rewritten. "Preferred" or "nice to have" items are not listed as must-haves.

How it compares · Compared by JoRoute from listings

• Typical listed pay for manager jobs in Washington, DC: $183k a year (343 listings, 90 employers). This listing is 54% higher.
• Across Shield AI's 578 open listings, 50% of those with a posting date were first posted more than 60 days ago. How Shield AI hires

What nobody outside the employer knows · Not known

• Whether the role is already filled or on hold: employers often leave listings up.
• How many people applied, and who reads the applications.
• Where in the published range an offer would land.

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1. Which of the listed places is this role based in?
2. What are the interview steps, and when should I expect to hear back?

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Next steps

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