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Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
The Role
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.
As a Platform Engineering Manager on the Hivemind Forge team, you will be at the forefront of designing and developing the infrastructure and tools that power advanced autonomy systems. This role combines technical leadership with hands-on development, requiring a deep understanding of scalable architectures, distributed systems, and developer tooling.
You will work closely with product management, program teams, and cross-functional engineering groups, including simulation, analysis, frontend, systems, and autonomy teams, ensuring that Forge meets the evolving needs of autonomy engineers. Your leadership will drive high-impact technical decisions, mentor engineers, and shape the future of Forge’s platform capabilities - all while remaining actively involved in writing code and system design
WHAT YOU'LL DO:
- Manage a team of platform developers
- Lead the design and development of Forge’s platform, ensuring scalability, performance, and security.
- Architect and implement distributed systems, high-performance APIs, and robust data pipelines for autonomy engineering workflows.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with simulation, analysis, frontend, systems, and autonomy teams to integrate Forge into the broader Shield AI ecosystem.
- Develop and optimize backend services, data models, and cloud-based infrastructure to support simulation and real-world autonomy testing.
- Drive technical excellence, establishing best practices for code quality, security, and system reliability.
- Balance hands-on development with leadership responsibilities, mentoring engineers and fostering a culture of technical innovation.
- Ensure seamless developer experiences, enhancing Forge’s SDK, CLI, and web tooling to empower autonomy engineers.
- Manage project priorities, trade-offs, and timelines, ensuring alignment with company objectives.
- Create and maintain clear, detailed documentation for internal and external users of Forge’s platform.
REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- 10+ years of experience designing and delivering scalable, production-grade software systems.
- 3+ years of technical leadership experience, guiding teams in designing and building complex software platforms.
- Expertise in Golang and Python for backend and systems programming.
- Strong background in cloud computing, containerization, and orchestration (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker).
- Deep understanding of distributed systems, networking protocols (TCP, UDP), and data processing.
- Experience deploying secure, reliable infrastructure in hybrid cloud and on-premises environments.
- Strong architectural decision-making skills, balancing performance, scalability, and maintainability.
- BS/MS in Computer Science or equivalent practical experience.
- Proven ability to mentor engineers, work collaboratively, and drive results in fast-paced environments.
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Experience with Helm charts and automated infrastructure deployment tools.
- Familiarity with low-level network analysis tools (e.g., Wireshark, Serf).
- Knowledge of CUE for configuration management and schema validation.
- Experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing environments.
- Background in aerospace, defense, or regulated industries with a focus on secure software practices.
- Experience building and maintaining production-grade SDKs.
- Proficiency in additional systems-level languages (e.g., C++, Rust).
- Hands-on experience with event-driven architectures and distributed systems.
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.
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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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