About the Role
We are seeking a Future Concepts Intern to explore and evaluate next-generation concepts for Shield AI’s Hivemind autonomy across air, space, land, and maritime domains. Partnering closely with mentors in Future Concepts and Operations Analysis, and collaborating with Engineering, Product, and Go-To-Market teams, you will turn emerging technologies and operational needs into credible mission concepts and lightweight analytical prototypes. Over the course of the internship, you will run early-stage trade studies, build scripts and models to test key assumptions, and communicate findings that inform our product roadmap.
This position is ideal for a curious problem-solver with a strong foundation in engineering or a quantitative field and hands-on programming skills. Blending creative thinking with analytical rigor, you will contribute to concept studies, white papers, and briefings that shape how Shield AI addresses critical challenges for the warfighter.
Required Qualifications
* Proficiency in at least one programming or analysis tool (such as Python, MATLAB, or C++) for modeling, simulation, or data analysis.
* Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to tackle open-ended questions and clearly communicate complex ideas in writing and presentations.
* Strong interest in autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace, or defense.
* Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
Preferred Qualifications
* Familiarity with version control, data visualization, and AI-assisted coding and research workflows.
* Familiarity with defense systems, military operations, and Concepts of Operations (CONOPS).
* Active U.S. government security clearance.
Skills Required
- Currently pursuing a Bachelor's, Master's, or Ph.D. in engineering, computer science, operations research, physics, mathematics, data science, or a related technical field.
- Proficiency in at least one programming or analysis tool, such as Python, MATLAB, or C++, for modeling, simulation, or data analysis.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to address open-ended questions.
- Ability to clearly communicate complex ideas in writing and presentations.
- Strong interest in autonomous systems, robotics, aerospace, or defense.
- Eligibility to obtain and maintain a U.S. government security clearance.
- Prior coursework, research, or internship experience in system design, trade studies, modeling and simulation, autonomy, or operations analysis.
- Familiarity with version control, data visualization, and AI-assisted coding and research workflows.
- Familiarity with defense systems, military operations, and Concepts of Operations (CONOPS).
- Active U.S. government security clearance.
What the Team is Saying
Shield Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Medical, dental, and vision coverage are described as strong and affordable, and offerings include a mental-health assistance program. Overall impressions point to good plan value for many employees.
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Retirement Support — A 401(k) with employer matching is highlighted positively, with accounts describing a company match and favorable experiences. Current match formulas and vesting are noted as worth confirming.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Full-time hires receive equity (often via RSUs), positioned as a meaningful component of total rewards. A double-trigger structure is noted as potentially deferring taxes until a liquidity event.
Shield Insights
What We Do
At Shield you won't wait years to see your work reach the field. You'll build hardware and software that operates in the real world right now, in the hands of the people who depend on it. Hivemind, our AI pilot, has been flying since 2018. It has flown more than 30 platforms, including an F-16, and it now sits under a U.S. Air Force production contract for Collaborative Combat Aircraft. When you write code or shape a system here, you contribute to technology with a proven flight record and a clear production future. V-BAT flies intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions with an operational record that stretches from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific. It delivers eyes where they matter most, in the most demanding conditions on earth. The teams behind it watch their work get tested where the stakes are real. X-BAT takes its first flight this year. It's an AI-piloted fighter that needs no runway, built to operate where traditional aircraft can't. Join now and you help shape a program at its earliest, most formative stage. That's the kind of ground-floor work that defines a career. Do the most impactful work of your life, on problems that matter. Autonomy at this level asks a lot of you. You'll take on problems in perception, planning, and control that few teams anywhere are equipped to solve. You'll work across disciplines, from aerospace and robotics to machine learning and systems engineering, alongside people who hold themselves to an exacting standard and expect the same from you. Our mission is clear: protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. That purpose runs through every decision, every design review, and every deployment. It's why the work here carries a weight you can feel. Ready to join our mission? Explore our open roles and find where you fit.
Why Work With Us
Founded in 2015 by a former Navy SEAL, Shield builds AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft. Veterans aren't an afterthought here, they're at every level. It's why the work carries weight: AI pilots and uncrewed aircraft flying real missions, from Ukraine to the Indo-Pacific, protecting service members and civilians.
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Shield Teams
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Shield Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
