What you'll do:
- Lead the design, validation, and deployment of advanced test systems for V-BAT’s critical components and subsystems.
- Architect PCBs and test interfaces for power electronics, RF, and communication systems.
- Develop automated test sequences in Python, ensuring scalability, efficiency, and repeatability.
- Design and integrate custom test fixtures, including relays, PLCs, PCBAs, and harnessing.
- Own and drive cross-functional design reviews, advocating for design-for-testability (DFT) improvements.
- Work hands-on with HASS, ESS, and HALT testing, validating performance in simulated harsh environments.
- Be a technical mentor, guiding junior engineers and contributing to Shield AI’s growing expertise in hardware test engineering.
- Other duties as assigned.
Required qualifications:
- B.S. in Electrical Engineering or related STEM field.
- 3+ years of industry experience in hardware design and test engineering (or equivalent experience with advanced degrees).
- Deep expertise in electrical design, mechanical, and software engineering principles as applied to hardware test systems.
- Proven ability to design, implement, and validate multidisciplinary hardware systems in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment.
- Track record of ownership—driving projects from concept to execution, delivering exceptional results.
- A team-first mindset, with high standards for yourself and others, and a passion for solving complex technical challenges.
- Track record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
Preferred qualifications:
- Proficiency in Python or another scripting language for test automation.
- Hands-on experience with PCB design tools (Altium, KiCAD, Eagle) and CAD software (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA).
- Experience working in rugged, high-reliability industries like aerospace, defense, or automotive.
- Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to pivot quickly in dynamic, evolving environments.
Skills Required
- B.S. in Electrical Engineering or related STEM field
- 3+ years of industry experience in hardware design and test engineering (or equivalent with advanced degrees)
- Deep expertise in electrical design, mechanical, and software engineering principles as applied to hardware test systems
- Proven ability to design, implement, and validate multidisciplinary hardware systems in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
- Track record of ownership driving projects from concept to execution
- Team-first mindset with high standards and passion for solving complex technical challenges
- Proficiency in Python or another scripting language for test automation
- Hands-on experience with PCB design tools (Altium, KiCAD, Eagle) and CAD software (SolidWorks, NX, CATIA)
- Experience in rugged, high-reliability industries (aerospace, defense, automotive)
- Strong problem-solving skills with ability to pivot quickly
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 Teams
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Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
