Shield AI's Software Test & Automation Team develops the verification, validation, and automation capabilities that enable rapid delivery of Hivemind autonomy across the Autonomous Collaborative Platform (ACP) portfolio. Our mission is to provide objective evidence of software quality, reliability, and mission readiness by building scalable automated test frameworks, repeatable validation environments, and data-driven readiness assessments spanning simulation, Software-in-the-Loop (SIL), Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL), and Vehicle-in-the-Loop (VIL) environments.
As a Software Test & Automation Engineer (L2), you will work alongside experienced engineers to develop automated tests, improve validation tooling, analyze software performance, and support system-level verification activities for autonomous systems. You will gain hands-on experience working with autonomy software, simulation environments, hardware-in-the-loop systems, and real-world robotic platforms while contributing directly to the tools and processes used to evaluate software quality and mission readiness.
What you'll do:
- Develop Python-based automated tests, test utilities, and analysis tools supporting autonomy software validation.
- Support verification and validation activities across simulation, SIL, HIL, VIL, and representative system environments.
- Build and improve regression, integration, functional, and performance tests with guidance from experienced engineers.
- Analyze test results, identify unexpected system behavior, and assist with debugging software and integration issues.
- Develop scripts and tools that reduce manual testing effort and improve the repeatability of test execution and analysis.
- Support the development of software quality metrics, dashboards, test reports, and readiness assessments.
- Assist with integrating automated tests into CI/CD workflows to provide rapid feedback to software developers.
- Collaborate with autonomy software, systems engineering, flight test, and integration teams to understand system behavior and validation requirements.
- Participate in laboratory and hardware testing of autonomous systems, sensors, flight controllers, networking equipment, and mission computers.
- Identify opportunities to improve test coverage, automation, documentation, and validation workflows.
Required qualifications:
- Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
- Python programming experience from coursework, projects, research, or student teams.
- Familiarity with software development and debugging fundamentals.
- Interest in robotics, autonomy, aerospace, embedded systems, or software testing.
- Strong problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with Linux, Git, or Docker.
- Exposure to automated testing, unit testing, or integration testing.
- Experience with sensors, flight controllers, embedded systems, or networking.
- Coursework or projects in robotics, controls, autonomy, computer vision, or embedded systems
Skills Required
- Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Systems Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent practical experience may be considered.
- Python programming experience from coursework, projects, research, or student teams.
- Familiarity with software development and debugging fundamentals.
- Interest in robotics, autonomy, aerospace, embedded systems, or software testing.
- Strong problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills.
- Experience with Linux, Git, or Docker.
- Exposure to automated testing, unit testing, or integration testing.
- Experience with sensors, flight controllers, embedded systems, or networking.
- Coursework or projects in robotics, controls, autonomy, computer vision, or embedded systems.
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.
