The Special Projects team at Shield AI is an elite force within the office of the CTO. It consists of a group of very senior (L5-L8) and highly experienced software engineering experts from diverse fields (aerospace, robotics, cloud infrastructure, game development, interactive media design, ...). The charter of this group is to steer technology development towards strategic alignment with the CTO’s vision, through tactical insertion into teams and technologies across the organization. Individuals within this team make direct and at times forward-sprinting contributions to all three pillars of Hivemind, Shield AI’s software ecosystem for developing and deploying resilient intelligent teaming for aircrafts. Hivemind consists of four products: EdgeOS (C++ based high-performance middleware for autonomy development), Pilot (autonomy for the edge built atop EdgeOS; a models-based, modular and open architecture C++ codebase), Forge (Shield AI's AI Factory for the design, development, and testing of Hivemind Edge systems; a service-oriented architecture leveraged through an SDK, CLI, and web portal; a Go, Python, Typescript codebase), Commander (Software and hardware to support rich human-in-the-loop and human-on-the-loop interactions with the Hivemind; a C++-based back-end for interaction with Pilot; and a web-application UI for mission planning, command and control by operators implemented in a Typescript/React codebase).
The Special Projects team is chartered to operate effectively within ambiguity. While this team does not own any software products, it tactically and strategically impacts the development of all foundational Hivemind products and leverages those technologies to rapidly deliver low-TRL solutions. This work happens should-to-shoulder with the product teams in some cases, and in a forward-sprinting manner within the Special Projects team in other cases. The result is direct contribution to products in the formercase, and development of reference implementations in the latter. The Special Projects team also functions as a pipeline for product and solution engineering teams across the organization. Individuals who enter the Special Projects team rapidly gain depth and breadth in their understanding of the Hivemind software ecosystem. This positions them well for leading technology development effort across the product and solution organization.
What you'll do:
- Design and prototype generative AI experience focused on accelerating autonomy development
- Work closely with members of the Office of the CTO to crystallize the vision of the Hivemind product and its documentation
- Lead the user experience design of Hivemind Generative AI
- Work closely with the technical leads of Hivemind Commander (mission planning, command and control, air-ground communications) and Hivemind Design (configurations, test and evaluation, rehearsal, analysis) to enhance the user experience of their products
- Conduct user research to understand user personae and their needs
- Investigate competing products and their user experiences, synthesize findings to present to engineering and product leadership
Required qualifications:
- 15+ years experience developing large, production quality software systems.
- Excellent grasp of software development and coding principles with high productivity in a mainstream language (e.g. Typescript, C++, Go, Python, Rust, etc.).
- Strong knowledge of modern software engineering best practices; Experience with Git and code management tools; Good software hygiene regarding code documentation, unit testing, bug tracking.
- 5+ years of experience with React/Node/Typescript/Javascript development.
- 5+ years of experience with Web applications development ("Front-End" or "Full-stack").
- Deep understanding full-stack web development (Document-Object Model (DOM), browser APIs, standards, semantics, Websockets, HTTP Streaming and Server-Sent Events (SSE), Client and UI state management; best practises and strategies, as they apply to React-based rendering, Advanced SPA routing, URL-based state persistence,sharing mechanisms, Seamless content loading states and progressive rendering techniques.)
- Multi-modal input handling (text, files, images, audio). Experience with client-side LLM Context Management
- Fluid intelligence that allows one to operate effectively in sometimes ambiguous conditions, while finding opportunities to drive technical efforts and force multiply.
- Experience with Linux, Docker, and CI/CD environments.
- Hands-on experience with a major cloud platform (Azure, GCP, AWS).
- This role requires travel to a Shield AI location 1-3 times per quarter
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with geospatial data and WebGL.
- Experience with Playwright UI testing
- Experience with Electron (or similar).
- Building debugging/inspection UIs for generative AI systems
- Experience with user experience design video games
- Experience designing for “Low Code” or “No Code” systems
- Experience and/or comfort reading C++ and/or Python and/or Typescript
Skills Required
- 15+ years experience developing large, production quality software systems
- High productivity in a mainstream language (e.g., Typescript, C++, Go, Python, Rust)
- Strong knowledge of modern software engineering best practices; experience with Git and code management tools; good software hygiene (documentation, unit testing, bug tracking)
- 5+ years experience with React/Node/Typescript/JavaScript development
- 5+ years experience with Web applications development (Front-End or Full-stack)
- Deep understanding of full-stack web development (DOM, browser APIs, standards, semantics, Websockets, HTTP Streaming, SSE, client and UI state management, React-based rendering, SPA routing, URL-based state persistence, progressive rendering techniques)
- Experience with multi-modal input handling (text, files, images, audio); experience with client-side LLM context management
- Experience with Linux, Docker, and CI/CD environments
- Hands-on experience with a major cloud platform (Azure, GCP, or AWS)
- Ability to travel to a Shield AI location 1-3 times per quarter
- Experience with geospatial data and WebGL
- Experience with Playwright UI testing
- Experience with Electron or similar
- Experience building debugging/inspection UIs for generative AI systems
- Experience with user experience design for video games
- Experience designing for low-code or no-code systems
- Comfort reading C++, Python, and/or Typescript
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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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
