Introduction to Shield AI
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown a fighter jet (F-16), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (V-BAT), and a quadcopter (Nova). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC and abroad. Shield AI’s products and people are currently in the field actively supporting operations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. allies.
Job Description:
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 three products: Hivemind Edge (autonomy for the edge; a models-based, modular and open architecture C++ codebase), Hivemind Design (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), and Hivemind 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 Hivemind Edge, 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 former case, 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.
As part of the Special Projects team, you will work on the integration of Hivemind Edge, Design and Commander into an integrated product.
What you'll do:
- You will architect and build next-generation AI interfaces that enable seamless human-AI interaction. Your work will focus on creating fluid, real-time experiences that handle multiple input types, from text to audio and images, with sophisticated dev tools that make AI interactions shareable, traceable, and reliable. Working closely with ML engineers, you will implement streaming interfaces that provide continuous feedback and clear visibility into AI thought process. Your expertise in frontend architecture will help shape how users interact with our AI systems, making complex technology accessible and intuitive through thoughtful UI design and implementation.
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, etc.).
- 5+ years of experience with React/Node/Typescript and Material UI.
- Strong knowledge of modern software engineering best practices.
- Experience with Git and code management tools.
- Passionate about developing high-quality and optimized software solutions.
- Good software hygiene regarding code documentation, unit testing, bug tracking.
- Strong technical collaboration skills and a desire to develop new skills.
- Excited by a fast-moving environment with a highly motivated group.
- BS/MS in Computer Science, similar degree, or equivalent practical experience.
- Demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
- Fluid intelligence that allows one to operate effectively in sometimes ambiguous conditions, while finding opportunities to drive technical efforts and force multiply.
Preferred qualifications:
- Experience with geospatial data and WebGL.
- Experience applying design systems to UI components.
- Hands-on experience with a major cloud platform (Azure, GCP, AWS).
- Experience with Linux, Docker, and CI/CD environments.
- Experience with WebSockets and Electron (or similar).
- Experience with TypeScript and React for frontend web applications.
- Experience with Playwright UI testing.
- Real-time streaming interfaces over HTTP and WebSockets
- Multi-modal input handling (text, files, images, audio)
- Advanced SPA routing and dynamic linking
- Client-side state management
- Building debugging/inspection UIs for generative AI systems
- Progress indicators and streaming response rendering
- URL-based state persistence and sharing mechanisms
- Seamless content loading states and progressive rendering techniques
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Total package details for U.S. based positions:
- Regular employee positions: Salary within range listed above + Bonus + Benefits + Equity
- Temporary employee positions: Hourly within range listed above + temporary benefits package (applicable after 60 days
of employment)
- Interns/Military Fellows/Part-time not eligible for bonus, benefits or equity
Total package details for International based positions (where applicable):
- International premium, hardship differential, cost of living differential, living quarters allowance, foreign service transfer
allowance, equity, international benefits, visa assistance, and relocation assistance.
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.
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
What We Do
Shield AI is building the world's best AI pilot. Our Hivemind autonomy stack is the first and only autonomous AI Pilot, deployed in combat since 2018. Hivemind enables intelligent teams of aircraft to perform missions ranging from room clearance, to penetrating air defense systems, and dogfighting F-16s.
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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