Senior Staff Software Engineer, Perception and Computer Vision (R3125)

Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company with the mission of protecting service members and civilians with intelligent, autonomous systems. Its products include Hivemind Enterprise—EdgeOS, Pilot, Commander, and Forge—as well as V-BAT and Sentient Vision Systems (wide-area motion imaging software). With offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington, D.C., Abu Dhabi (UAE), Kyiv (Ukraine), and Melbourne (Australia), Shield AI’s technology actively supports U.S. and allied operations worldwide.  For more information, visit www.shield.ai. Follow Shield AI on LinkedIn, X and Instagram.    

As a Senior Staff Software Engineer in our Hivemind Pilot organization, you will act as the technical conscience for our computer vision pipeline software, ensuring its architectural soundness, scalability, and alignment with our product vision. Your role will focus on architecting, implementing, and releasing state-of-the-art computer vision libraries (software, algorithms, and analytics) the form a core capability within the Hivemind Enterprise Software Development Kit (SDK). While this is not a people management role, it requires a seasoned technical leader who can guide the development of critical capabilities and set the standard for excellence in this domain. 

You will enable internal and external users of our software products to leverage, configure and extend these computer vision pipelines, empowering them to create custom capabilities for advanced autonomy applications across a variety of commercial and defense applications. Your expertise will directly enhance the ability of autonomous agents to perform complex video and image processing tasks. 

What you'll do:

• Serve as the technical authority for computer vision capabilities within our perception stack, driving technical decisions and ensuring robust design and implementation. 
• Architect and develop core video and image processing C++ software libraries, released as part of our software products to external customers. 
• Implement out-of-the-box computer vision capabilities for applications such as object detection, visual place recognition, visual odometry, and more. 
• Advanced the state of the art in computer vision to enable advanced autonomy behaviors for commercial and defense applications 
• Validate computer vision capabilities through various testing modalities (e.g., digitalsimulation, software-in-the-loop, hardware-in-the-loop, and flight testing) 
• Collaborate with the product development team to shape the technical roadmap for perception  
• Engage with internal and external customers to inform requirements for new features 
• Enhance the performance of an exceptionally talented perception team by maintaininghigh standards of technical rigor, balancing development speed with product quality.   
• Mentor and guide less experienced engineers, fostering technical excellence and sharing domain knowledge across the team. 

Required Qualifications:

• Typically requires a minimum of 10 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 9 years with a Master’s degree; or 7 years with a PhD; or equivalent work experience.




• Demonstrated excellence in designing and developing scalable, extensible C++ video and image processing software for CPU and GPU systems in Linux environments, preferably for autonomous systems.




• Extensive experience working with open-source video and image processing libraries, such as GStreamer and OpenCV.




• Proven expertise in C++ software architecture design patterns and their practical implementation.




• Strong knowledge of video encoding standards (e.g., H.264 and H.265) and their application.




• Experience developing video or image processing algorithms for electro-optional sensors.




• Strong Git and Linux development skills, along with modern software development practices (e.g., CI/CD, test-driven development).




• A track record of technical leadership, with the ability to set and maintain high standards, guide teams through complex technical challenges, and collaborate effectively.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Hands-on experience working with EO/IR sensor hardware used for defense applications 
• Demonstrated excellence in designing and developing scalable, extensible C++ video and image processing software for CPU and GPU systems in Linux environments, preferably for autonomous systems. 
• Extensive experience working with open-source video and image processing libraries, such as GStreamer and OpenCV. 
• Strong knowledge of video encoding standards (e.g., H.264 and H.265) and their application. 

Why join us?

• At Shield AI, you will work on cutting-edge technology that pushes the boundaries of autonomous systems. This role offers the opportunity to lead the technical direction of a critical component in our perception stack while collaborating with a team of talented engineers and researchers. Your work will have a direct impact on enabling advanced autonomy for defense and beyond. 

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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.