Shield AI is looking for a Solutions Systems Engineer Intern to help turn operational concepts into fully designed autonomous capabilities. You'll work alongside experienced systems engineers to take a real Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and break it down from top-level mission behavior to the individual software components that deliver it. That work covers Mission Autonomy, Command & Control (C2), and Mission Planning.
Over the internship, you'll take a project from planning through execution. You'll build requirements, interfaces, and Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) artifacts, present at regular design reviews, and deliver a complete design package to key stakeholders. At the end, you'll demonstrate your work to the wider Shield AI community.
Required Qualifications
Currently an Undergraduate, or graduate student
Pursuing a degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related STEM field.
Background in autonomy, robotics, and/or aerospace.
Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
A track record of owning project outcomes and delivering exceptional results.
Preferred Qualifications
Experience with MBSE, including knowledge of SysML and/or experience with Cameo.
Exposure to requirements development and traceability.
Familiarity with autonomy architectures, C2 systems, or mission planning tools.
Experience leading or contributing to team-based engineering projects.
A record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
Skills Required
- Currently enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student
- Pursuing a degree in Systems Engineering, Computer Science, or a related STEM field
- Background in autonomy, robotics, and/or aerospace
- Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
- Track record of owning project outcomes and delivering exceptional results
- Experience with Model-Based Systems Engineering, including SysML and/or Cameo
- Exposure to requirements development and traceability
- Familiarity with autonomy architectures, C2 systems, or mission planning tools
- Experience leading or contributing to team-based engineering projects
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 Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
