We are seeking a highly motivated Ground System Software Engineer to design, develop, and maintain software systems for the X-BAT Platform. This role focuses on building robust ground control stations, mission planning tools, communication interfaces, and infrastructure that enable the X-BAT mission, and supports operational requirements safe and efficient drone operations.
You'll work at the intersection of all major components of the X-BAT Platform and its systems, providing user-facing applications to operate X-BAT and supporting equipment or vehicles, and will be collaborating closely with our Aircraft Software, Hivemind, and Flight Test teams to design this state-of-the-art ground system.
What you'll do
- Design, develop, and optimize next-gen ground control software that enables low-latency communication with UAVs and other autonomous platforms.
- Build high-performance full-stack applications that support telemetry processing and fusion, mission planning, and real-time situational awareness.
- Implement responsive user interfaces with React and TypeScript for telemetry readout and sensor feeds, operator workflows, and mission/vehicle state.
- Collaborate closely with teams across autonomy, embedded systems, human factors, and UX to deliver integrated, field-ready solutions.
- Contribute to architectural decisions and system designs that ensure responsiveness, scalability, and fault-tolerance.
- Lead and/or participate in development efforts on key features or subsystems, from early design through deployment and iteration.
- Write high-quality, well-tested code and participate in peer design/code reviews.
Required qualifications:
- Senior: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related field with 5+ years of professional software development experience, or Masters with 4+ years, or PhD with 2+ years.
- Staff: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or a related field with 7+ years of professional software development experience, or Masters with 6+ years, or PhD with 4+ years.
- Proficiency in a strongly typed programming language (e.g. C#, TypeScript, Java, C++) with exposure to lower-level systems or protocol integration.
- Experience with web technologies, especially React, TypeScript/JavaScript, and Node.js.
- Strong software engineering fundamentals including version control, testing, debugging, and performance profiling.
- Proven ability to deliver high-quality software as part of a collaborative engineering team.
- Experience building distributed systems or networked applications
- Experience developing user interfaces (e.g., React, Vue, QT, or similar frameworks)
- Strong debugging, problem solving, and system integration skills
- Speed and proficiency without the use of Generative AI tools (due to the nature of our work, these are prohibited)
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional engineering environment
- Ability to obtain security clearance
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance desired.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with GCS software, mission planning tools, or real-time visualization platforms.
- Familiarity with API-driven systems using REST or gRPC, and communication protocols like WebSocket or custom telemetry formats.
- Knowledge of standards such as STANAG 4586, Cursor on Target (CoT), or MAVLink.
- Experience with UAS platforms and AI/ML systems.
- Familiarity with containerized environments (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes) and CI/CD practices.
- Exposure to distributed systems and cloud integration for telemetry data pipelines and sensor fusion.
- Understanding of security best practices in control systems and networked applications.
- Exposure to cybersecurity best practices for embedded or distributed systems, preferably within Gov and/or Defense environments
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Robotics, or related field with 5+ years (Masters 4+, PhD 2+); Staff-level options listed for higher experience
- Proficiency in strongly typed programming languages (e.g., C#, TypeScript, Java, C++)
- Experience with web technologies, especially React, TypeScript/JavaScript, and Node.js
- Strong software engineering fundamentals: version control, testing, debugging, performance profiling
- Experience building distributed systems or networked applications
- Experience developing user interfaces (React, Vue, Qt, or similar)
- Strong debugging, problem solving, and system integration skills
- Speed and proficiency without the use of Generative AI tools (prohibited)
- Ability to obtain security clearance
- Ability to obtain a S//SAR level security clearance (desired)
- Proven ability to deliver high-quality software as part of a collaborative engineering team
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-functional engineering environment
- Experience with GCS software, mission planning tools, or real-time visualization platforms
- Familiarity with API-driven systems (REST, gRPC) and communication protocols (WebSocket, custom telemetry)
- Knowledge of standards such as STANAG 4586, Cursor on Target (CoT), or MAVLink
- Experience with UAS platforms and AI/ML systems
- Familiarity with containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes) and CI/CD practices
- Exposure to distributed systems and cloud integration for telemetry data pipelines and sensor fusion
- Understanding of security and cybersecurity best practices for control and embedded/distributed systems, preferably in Gov/Defense contexts
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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Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
