Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
The Role
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. For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and YouTube.
As an Embedded OS Engineer, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and optimizing the operating system components that enable our unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to operate efficiently and reliably. Your work will ensure that the software infrastructure of our UAVs meets the high standards required for autonomous operations in dynamic and challenging environments.
What You'll Do:
- Design, develop, and maintain the Linux based or commercial real-time operating system components for UAVs, focusing on performance, reliability, and security.
- Optimize the OS for concurrent processing and efficient resource management.
- Collaborate with hardware engineers, software developers, and autonomy engineers to ensure seamless integration of OS components with other subsystems.
- Develop and maintain drivers and middle-ware for various hardware components and sensors, especially camera and timing systems.
- Conduct rigorous testing and debugging to ensure the stability and robustness of the OS.
- Stay updated with the latest advancements in OS technologies and apply best practices to our systems.
Required Qualifications:
- Minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (or related field); or 3 years and a Master’s degree; or 2 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.
- Proven experience in OS development, particularly in real-time and embedded systems.
- Strong understanding of RTOS concepts, concurrent programming, and resource management.
- Proficiency in programming languages such as C, C++, Python, or similar.
- Experience with developing drivers and middle-ware for hardware components.
- Familiarity with cyber security principles and practices in embedded systems, including secure boot and data-at-rest encryption.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to effectively collaborate with multidisciplinary teams and external stakeholders.
- Demonstrated track record of assuming ownership over development processes and features and delivering outstanding outcomes.
- Proven track record of successfully shipping products, showcasing the ability to navigate through development cycles, overcome obstacles, and deliver high-quality solutions to meet project deadlines and exceed expectations in a fast-paced environment.
- You have a demonstrated record of working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience customizing, deploying, and maintaining Linux distributions created with Yocto on various hardware platforms
- Experience customizing, deploying, and maintaining RTOS’s such as VxWorks, RTLinux, or Green Hills
- Experience with Nvidia OS customization and maintenance
#LI-SM1
#LC
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.
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 defense-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:
Flexible
