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Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
The Role
In this Co-Op role, candidates will work on hardware development and testing for autonomous aircraft, with mentorship from senior engineers.
Summary Generated by Built In
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
Job Description:
Our 2026 Co-Op program is an excellent opportunity for rising 2026 graduates to gain deep, hands-on experience in a mission-driven and innovative engineering environment. This paid, full-time program spans multiple months during the academic year, offering extended immersion in real-world hardware development and testing.
Shield AI is seeking an exceptional Co-op candidate to join the team in building our autonomous aircraft. You will join a team of highly talented cross-functional engineers that exhibit a culture of mentorship, kindness, ownership, and hard work.
The ideal start date is January 2026, and the end date is flexible between June -August 2026.
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.
- Example Projects:
- Design and implement sensor emulators, using simulation tooling or hardware instrumentation
- Design, simulate, and integrate aircraft operations into a software application used for training pilots
- Implement a Hardware-in-the-loop capability used for validating software features end-to-end across missions
- Build a continuous integration pipeline deliver repeated test coverage of a flight software Own a software design from concept, design, iteration, to release.
- Identify bugs and drive changes to fix them.
Required Qualifications:
- Have completed at least the 2nd year of a relevant degree. Typically, Computer Engineering, CS, or EE
- Strong technical fundamentals. Ability to write code and learn new concepts quickly.
- Have been part of an engineering team/club.
- Experience with standard software tools (e.g git) and development practices (e.g code review)
- 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.
#LI-SM1
Full-time regular employee offer package:
Pay within range listed + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
Temporary employee offer package:
Pay within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days of employment)
Salary compensation is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, licenses and certifications, and specific work location. All offers are contingent on a cleared background and possible reference check. Military fellows and part-time employees are not eligible for benefits. Please speak to your talent acquisition representative for more information.
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Shield AI is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.
Top Skills
Continuous Integration Pipeline
Flight Software
Git
Hardware Instrumentation
Sensor Emulators
Software Application
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The Company
What We Do
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed deep-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include the V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, Hivemind Enterprise, and the Hivemind Vision product lines. With nine offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific, Shield AI’s technology actively supports operations worldwide.
Why Work With Us
What makes Shield AI special is our people. We unlock the power of autonomy, and in the face of overwhelming odds and challenges, we find ways to win and make a difference for our customers. We bring together software, AI, and aerospace engineering disciplines to deploy the most intelligent aviation capabilities in the world.
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