Working in our Hivemind Solutions team you will lead the Modelling and Simulation capability for our Australian based Mission Autonomy programs. You will be responsible for developing and integrating the simulation and test environments which our autonomy engineers use to develop, test and demonstrate Mission Autonomy solutions for uncrewed aircraft. In this role, you will guide multidisciplinary engineering teams in designing, implementing, and integrating high‑performance real-time and faster than real-time simulation frameworks across distributed, containerized, and hardware‑in‑the‑loop environments. Your work will directly support key customer programs, internal R&D, and mission‑critical autonomy development—ensuring our simulation ecosystem is robust, scalable, and operationally representative.
What you’ll do:
• Simulation Architecture Leadership – Lead the design and evolution of distributed, real‑time simulation systems that support autonomy development, verification, and validation across virtual, constructive, and live environments.
• High‑Performance Software Development – Architect and implement C++, software for modelling, simulation, and integration workflows, while maintaining compatibility with legacy standards for seamless system interoperability.
• Real-Time & Distributed Simulation – Develop, optimize, and deploy software for real‑time mission execution environments, including multi‑agent scenarios and high‑fidelity system-of-systems simulations.
• Simulation Framework Integration – Apply practical experience with defence simulation frameworks such as AFSIM or NGTS to accelerate capability delivery and ensure alignment with defence customer expectations.
• Containerized Deployment – Leverage Docker, Kubernetes or similar technologies to ensure repeatable, scalable, and modular simulation deployments across development, CI, and operational environments.
• Technical & Project Leadership – Lead engineering teams of 5+ contributors, ensuring alignment across software, test, autonomy, perception, and program stakeholders. Drive quality, delivery, and technical excellence.
• Collaboration & Delivery – Work closely with cross-functional teams to integrate simulation with autonomy algorithms, hardware interfaces, and test pipelines, enabling rapid experimentation, regression testing, and mission readiness.
• Innovation & Continuous Improvement – Champion best practices in CI/CD, test‑driven development, design patterns, and system architecture. Explore and adopt modern technologies to expand modelling and simulation capabilities.
Required qualifications:
• A tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field
• Extensive professional experience in software engineering and systems integration
• Strong experience in modern C++ with familiarity across legacy standards
• Professional experience with Python
• Significant experience building and delivering reliable software systems in fast‑paced environments
• Experience leading teams to deliver complex engineering projects
• Experience with real‑time, distributed simulation systems or HWIL/SWIL environments
• Experience with containerization technologies (Docker or equivalent)
• Experience working in Linux development environments
• Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems quickly and effectively
• Proven history of strong collaboration, accountability, and being a trusted and kind teammate
• Ability to obtain an Australian NV1 security clearance
Preferred qualifications:
• Defence industry experience
• Experience with uncrewed systems, particularly in the air domain
• Experience with AFSIM, NGTS, or equivalent defence simulation tools
• Experience with data processing, analysis pipelines, or test automation workflows, especially those using Python
Skills Required
- Tertiary qualification in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mechatronics, or related field
- Extensive professional experience in software engineering and systems integration
- Strong experience in modern C++ with familiarity across legacy standards
- Professional experience with Python
- Significant experience building and delivering reliable software systems in fast-paced environments
- Experience leading teams to deliver complex engineering projects
- Experience with real-time, distributed simulation systems or HWIL/SWIL environments
- Experience with containerization technologies (Docker or equivalent)
- Experience working in Linux development environments
- Demonstrated ability to solve complex problems quickly and effectively
- Proven history of strong collaboration, accountability, and teamwork
- Ability to obtain an Australian NV1 security clearance
- Experience with AFSIM or NGTS (defence simulation frameworks)
- Defence industry experience
- Experience with uncrewed systems, particularly in the air domain
- Experience with data processing, analysis pipelines, or test automation workflows using Python
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.
