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Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
The Role
Lead and scale V-BAT simulation capabilities by designing and integrating simulation tooling, managing a distributed simulation engineering team, aligning cross-functional priorities, creating workflows and documentation, and delivering simulation roadmaps, dashboards, and release processes to ensure safe, reliable aircraft development.
Summary Generated by Built In
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense-tech company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent systems. Its products include Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and 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.
As the VBAT Simulation Lead, you will be responsible for improving and scaling our simulation capabilities for the V-BAT and future aircraft. You will design, resource, manage, build and integrate tooling across our various engineering teams (e.g. Aerodynamics, GNC, Propulsion, etc.) to enable efficient and scalable simulation workflows. Your simulation solutions will be a key development tool for other engineers and also a critical gate in our release process.
What you'll do:
- Work with tech leads and stockholders to design, track, and report simulation roadmaps and release plans.
- Align needs and priorities across many teams and disciplines
- Hire and manage a team of specialized simulation engineers across multiple locations.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including software engineers, autonomy engineers, and aerodynamics engineers, to ensure the simulation accurately reflects real-world conditions
- Create and maintain processes and workflows to build confidence in simulation tooling to both internal and external customers.
- Stay updated with the latest advancements in simulation technologies and drive best practices across the team
- Build and maintain documentation and dashboards to quickly provide data and status to leadership.
Required qualifications:
- BS in Computer Science or related engineering field with 8+ years of professional experience.
- 3+ years of experience leading engineering teams or projects.
- Passion for simulation and testing with the goal of ensuring safety and reliability at scale.
- A proven track record of working with multiple stakeholder groups and managing clear and successful roadmaps
- Strong foundation in C++ and software architecture
- Foundational knowledge of statistics and its application in software development, testing, and data analysis.
- Solid understanding of mathematics (especially linear algebra) and foundational physics, with the ability to interpret technical papers and algorithms effectively.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and/or containerized application development
- Familiarity with rigid body dynamics (e.g. Euler’s equations, quaternions), aerodynamics, propulsion systems, etc.
- Experience with Python 3 and data science frameworks (e.g. NumPy, Pandas, Dagster)
- Experience with robotics concepts, including node-based architectures such as ROS or similar middleware frameworks.
#LI-SM1
#LD
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.
Skills Required
- BS in Computer Science or related engineering field with 8+ years of professional experience
- 3+ years of experience leading engineering teams or projects
- Passion for simulation and testing focused on safety and reliability at scale
- Proven track record working with multiple stakeholder groups and managing roadmaps
- Strong foundation in C++ and software architecture
- Foundational knowledge of statistics applied to software development, testing, and data analysis
- Solid understanding of mathematics (especially linear algebra) and foundational physics
- Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and/or containerized application development
- Familiarity with rigid body dynamics, aerodynamics, and propulsion systems
- Experience with Python 3 and data science frameworks (NumPy, Pandas, Dagster)
- Experience with robotics concepts and node-based architectures such as ROS or similar middleware
What the Team is Saying
Dylan
Lead Engineer, Planning and Controls-Motion
Mo
Lead Engineer, Platform Automation
Willy
Technical Director
Michael
Engineering Manager - State Estimation
Vibhav
Senior Staff Engineer
Kirby
Mechanical Engineer
Ryan
CEO
Evan
Senior Machine Learning Engineer
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.
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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 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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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Typical time on-site:
3 days a week
