What you'll do:
- You will be given ownership of a project that is tailored to the start date, duration, and location of your Co-op.
- Your work will directly contribute to the success of our novel aircraft development program. You will understand exactly why your project matters and how it ties into our critical path development objectives.
- You will be partnered with a senior engineer as mentor and guide for technical input and professional development.
Examples of projects:
- Design a circuit board involving analog, digital, mixed signal, high speed circuits that enables us to test a prototype flight computer.
- Design, simulate, and verify high voltage power electronics (>10kW) DC/DC Converters and DC/AC inverters.
- Work with a senior engineer to bring-up and validate a new Avionics system.
- Identify bugs and drive changes to fix them.
- Build a test rack to deliver fully automated test coverage of a flight critical sub-system.
- Run a HALT campaign to ensure a series of new circuit boards are highly reliable.
Required qualifications:
- Have completed at least the 2nd year of a relevant degree. Typically, Electrical Engineering.
- Strong technical fundamentals.
- Have been part of an engineering team/club.
- Experience with electrical design software and tools such as Altium, KiCAD, an oscilloscope, etc.
- Demonstrated history of showing ownership of project outcomes and delivering exceptional results.
- Record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Skills Required
- Completed at least the 2nd year of a relevant degree (typically Electrical Engineering).
- Strong technical fundamentals.
- Have been part of an engineering team or club.
- Experience with electrical design software and tools such as Altium, KiCAD, an oscilloscope, etc.
- Demonstrated history of ownership of project outcomes and delivering exceptional results.
- Record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding high standards, and being kind to others.
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance.
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.
