WHAT YOU'LL DO:
- Serve as the Chief Engineer on Shield AI projects focused on developing and deploying autonomy solutions for unmanned aircraft
- Lead a team responsible for advancing Hivemind Autonomy and shaping Department of Defense (DoD) autonomy architectures.
- Define and assign technical objectives, make key engineering decisions, and ensure the quality and completeness of all technical deliverables
- Provide technical leadership and oversight across both Internal Research and Development (IRAD) initiatives and DoD contracts.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering, and/or similar degree
- 10+ years of industry experience in autonomy and/or UAS platforms (e.g., defense tech, self-driving car, etc.)
- 7+ years of delivering software into production/certifiable environments with high-reliability
- Understanding of guidance, control and navigation (GNC) (e.g. controls, estimation, planning)
- Understanding of robotics stack (e.g., controls, estimation, perception, planning, etc.)
- Understanding of software development processes and how to effectively deploy software
- Experience defining technical scope and managing technical requirements, product architectures, ICDs and other system level design documentation
- Demonstrate problem solving skills by applying a scientific technical approach
- Customer-facing engineering leader supporting both defense and internally funded development programs
- Contribute to government contract proposal writing
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
- Excellent leadership skills, driving a team of 6-20 engineers
Skills Required
- BS/MS in Computer Science, Electrical, Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering, or similar degree
- 10+ years industry experience in autonomy and/or UAS platforms (defense tech, self-driving, etc.)
- 7+ years delivering software into production/certifiable, high-reliability environments
- Understanding of guidance, control and navigation (GNC) including controls, estimation, planning
- Understanding of robotics stack (controls, estimation, perception, planning)
- Understanding of software development processes and effective software deployment
- Experience defining technical scope, managing technical requirements, product architectures, ICDs, and system-level design documentation
- Demonstrated scientific technical problem-solving skills
- Customer-facing engineering leader supporting defense and internally funded development programs
- Experience contributing to government contract proposal writing
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Proven leadership driving a team of 6-20 engineers
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Company materials describe excellent medical, dental, and vision coverage alongside a mental‑health EAP. Site perks such as an onsite gym in DC and a gym discount in San Diego support a health‑focused offering.
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Retirement Support — Careers materials highlight a 401(k) with company match as part of the standard package. A Total Rewards overview emphasizes retirement features within a broader, transparent compensation view.
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Career-Linked Recognition & Rewards — Compensation for in‑demand technical and senior go‑to‑market roles is described as competitive, with visible engineering ranges and top‑end packages. This points to meaningful upside tied to role, level, and scarce skills.
Shield AI Insights
What We Do
At Shield AI, 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 AI 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 AI Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
