Shield AI is building autonomous aircraft that redefine aviation. The Foundation Engineering team builds the pipelines, tools, and systems that make fast, reliable delivery of complex aircraft software possible.
As a DevOps Build Engineer, you will extend our build and delivery infrastructure for our autonomous aircraft (XBAT/VBAT) into classified environments. You will stand up and maintain physical build infrastructure and support software deployments across multiple classification levels. You will also apply DevOps best practices to improve Developer Experience (DevEx) and speed up our software engineers' development cycles.
What you'll do:
- Extend and mirror build and CI/CD capabilities into classified and air-gapped environments, keeping them aligned with unclassified development workflows.
- Design, stand up, and maintain on-premises physical build infrastructure (servers, storage, networking, and build clusters), including hardware selection, rack/install, provisioning, and lifecycle management.
- Architect and support multi-classification deployments, including controlled transfer of source, dependencies, artifacts, and containers across network boundaries.
- Work with Security, IT, and ISSM/ISSO teams to make sure build systems meet accreditation and compliance requirements (e.g., RMF, DISA STIGs, NIST 800-53/800-171).
- Be an expert on our software build and delivery process, from developer workstations to CI to deployment.
- Improve developer velocity by reducing build/test cycle time and removing pipeline bottlenecks.
- Work with Software Engineers to understand their requirements, propose designs, and implement solutions.
- Partner with developers to resolve build/test failures quickly and set best practices for integration.
- Integrate CI pipelines with HIL and simulation environments for automated validation.
- Implement monitoring, dashboards, and alerts for build system performance across local development, CI, and classified environments.
- Use agentic solutions to quickly identify the root cause of build failures and route the right feedback to the responsible Software Engineer.
Required qualifications:
- BS in CS, CE, EE, or related field with 7+ years of industry experience (or MS/PhD with 5+ years).
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret clearance.
- Hands-on experience provisioning and administering physical servers and on-prem infrastructure.
- Understanding of and hands-on experience using AI tools (e.g., LLMs, coding assistants, agentic workflows) to improve engineering productivity and automate workflows.
- Strong understanding of dependency management, artifact repositories (e.g., Artifactory, Nexus), and package managers (e.g., Conan, CPM, pip).
- Proficiency with containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, cloud build clusters).
- Strong scripting skills (Python, Bash).
- Hands-on experience integrating automated testing into CI pipelines.
- Demonstrated success improving developer productivity at scale.
- Demonstrated track record of excellence as a primary contributor on projects, with the ability to work through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions in a fast-paced environment.
- Proficiency with CI/CD tools (Azure DevOps, Jenkins, GitLab).
- Cloud operations experience (Azure, AWS, GCP), including government cloud regions (e.g., Azure Government, AWS GovCloud).
- Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Ansible) and monitoring (Grafana, Prometheus).
- Background in robotics, autonomy, or aerospace systems.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience building or operating CI/CD pipelines in classified or air-gapped environments.
- Experience with cross-domain solutions (CDS) and data transfer processes between networks of different classification levels.
- Familiarity with RMF/ATO processes, STIG hardening, and secure software supply chain practices (SBOMs, artifact signing).
Skills Required
- BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related field with 7+ years of industry experience; alternatively MS or PhD with 5+ years.
- Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Secret security clearance.
- Hands-on experience provisioning and administering physical servers and on-premises infrastructure.
- Hands-on experience using AI tools, including LLMs, coding assistants, or agentic workflows, to improve productivity and automate workflows.
- Experience with dependency management, artifact repositories, and package managers.
- Proficiency with containers and orchestration, including Docker and Kubernetes.
- Strong scripting skills in Python and Bash.
- Hands-on experience integrating automated testing into CI pipelines.
- Demonstrated success improving developer productivity at scale.
- Track record of contributing to projects through development cycles, overcoming obstacles, and delivering high-quality solutions.
- Proficiency with Azure DevOps, Jenkins, or GitLab.
- Cloud operations experience with Azure, AWS, or GCP, including government cloud regions.
- Familiarity with Terraform, Ansible, Grafana, and Prometheus.
- Background in robotics, autonomy, or aerospace systems.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance.
- Experience operating CI/CD pipelines in classified or air-gapped environments.
- Experience with cross-domain solutions and data transfer between networks of different classification levels.
- Familiarity with RMF/ATO processes, STIG hardening, and secure software supply chain practices such as SBOMs and artifact signing.
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.
