The Chief Engineer at Shield AI is responsible for solving complex technical challenges in deploying advanced autonomy solutions on unmanned weapon systems.
As the chief authority on system architecture, design, development, risk mitigation, and product quality, the Chief Engineer ensures the successful integration of Hivemind Autonomy across a range of unmanned weapon systems.
This role is part of the Hivemind Solutions organization and leads a team of engineers to deliver cutting-edge autonomous capabilities for business-to-business and defense contracts. The ideal candidate has defense industry experience as a Chief Engineer and a proven track record of leading technical teams to develop and deploy autonomous weapon systems.
What you'll do:
- Serve as the Chief Engineer on Shield AI projects focused on developing and deploying autonomy solutions for unmanned weapon systems.
- Lead a team responsible for advancing Hivemind Autonomy and shaping defense 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 defense 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 unmanned weapon systems (e.g., defense tech, self-driving cars, etc.)
- 7+ years of delivering software into production/certifiable environments with high reliability
- Understanding of guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) (e.g., controls, estimation, planning)
- Understanding of the 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
- Demonstrated problem-solving skills through the application of a scientific and technical approach
- Customer-facing engineering leadership supporting both defense and internally funded development programs
- Ability to contribute to government contract proposal writing
- Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
- Excellent leadership skills, with experience leading a team of 6–20 engineers
Preffered Qualificatons:
- UK security clearance
Skills Required
- BS or MS degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, or a similar field
- 10+ years of industry experience in autonomy and/or unmanned weapon systems
- 7+ years of delivering software into production or certifiable high-reliability environments
- Understanding of guidance, navigation, and control, including controls, estimation, and planning
- Understanding of the robotics stack, including controls, estimation, perception, and planning
- Understanding of software development processes and effective software deployment
- Experience defining technical scope and managing technical requirements, product architectures, ICDs, and system-level design documentation
- Demonstrated problem-solving skills using a scientific and technical approach
- Customer-facing engineering leadership experience supporting defense and internally funded development programs
- Ability to contribute to government contract proposal writing
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Leadership experience managing teams of 6–20 engineers
- UK security clearance
What the Team is Saying
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 Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
