As Senior Technical Program Manager you will be responsible for ensuring the quality of Hivemind Enterprise, a software development kit that enables both Shield AI and third parties to create a new generation of unmanned systems and mission applications that deliver transformative capabilities for the U.S. and its allies. You will work with sponsors, product managers, designers and a talented cross-functional engineering team to lead on-time, on-quality software releases. This Technical Program Manager role requires a versatile individual who can plan and manage complex software test automation projects and flight test operations.
What you'll do:
- Drive the planning, execution, and delivery of complex software releases for the Hivemind Enterprise platform
- Drive major initiatives building out rigorous simulation-based test automation for autonomy software
- Drive large complex test operations from CI through HIL and flight test
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams, including engineering, product management, and customer engagement, to define test scope, objectives, and deliverables
- Develop detailed project plans, including timelines, milestones, and resource allocation, ensuring adherence to budget and schedule
- Monitor project progress, identify risks, and implement mitigation strategies to ensure successful project completion
- Facilitate regular communication with stakeholders, providing updates on project status, challenges, and accomplishments
- Drive continuous improvement in project management processes, tools, and methodologies
- Foster a culture of innovation, collaboration, and excellence within the program management team
- Facilitate technical decision making to appropriately prioritize work and make complex trades
- Reinforce Shield AI's reputation for technical excellence and ability to deliver through expert engagement and disciplined execution
Required qualifications:
- B.S. in Computer Science, or a related field with 8+ years of work experience in Program Management, Engineering Management or Software Test Engineering; alternative degrees are acceptable if professional experience is focused in testing Enterprise Software, Artificial Intelligence, or Robotics
- Experience driving testing of complex software and integrated HW/SW systems.
- Experience driving release management and software test operations
- You have a track record of driving results, not just providing status
- You have solid technical foundations in test engineering and software development, with deep knowledge of how to optimize the software development lifecycle
- You have the ability to recognize efficiency and inefficiency in projects and prioritize remedies based on accurate cost-benefit analysis
- You are an exceptional, fundamentals-driven problem solver and communicator
- You have a demonstrated record of setting and achieving goals in dynamic environments, working hard, being a trustworthy teammate, holding yourself and others to high standards, and being kind to others
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Power user of Jira or work management tools
Preferred qualifications:
- Advanced degree in Computer Science or MBA
- Previous experience as a software developer or a test engineer
- Previous experience driving software releases or test operations for enterprise software used by software engineers
- Passionate about software documentation
- Autonomy, AI, ML expertise
- PMP, Scrum Master, or similar qualification
Skills Required
- B.S. in Computer Science or related field with 8+ years in Program Management, Engineering Management, or Software Test Engineering
- Experience driving testing of complex software and integrated HW/SW systems
- Experience driving release management and software test operations
- Track record of driving results (not just providing status)
- Solid technical foundations in test engineering and software development, with deep knowledge of optimizing the software development lifecycle
- Ability to recognize efficiency and inefficiency in projects and prioritize remedies based on cost-benefit analysis
- Exceptional, fundamentals-driven problem solver and communicator
- Demonstrated record of setting and achieving goals in dynamic environments and being a trustworthy teammate
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills
- Power user of Jira or work management tools
- Advanced degree in Computer Science or MBA
- Previous experience as a software developer or a test engineer
- Previous experience driving software releases or test operations for enterprise software used by software engineers
- Passionate about software documentation
- Autonomy, AI, ML expertise
- PMP, Scrum Master, or similar qualification
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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Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
