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Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.
The Role
Lead system-level verification and validation of aircraft software by designing realistic mission test scenarios, managing V&V events to verify flight readiness, writing Python test analyzers, producing coverage and release-readiness reports, and improving simulation and fault-injection capabilities.
Summary Generated by Built In
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 Hivemind autonomy software and V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft. With offices and facilities across the U.S., Europe, the Middle East, and 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 a Software Systems Test Engineer, you will be pivotal in driving integration testing of our full aircraft software system, integrating our autonomy, flight controller, and GCS software to qualify an intelligent, robust aircraft system. This role demands an engineer capable of overseeing system-level verification and validation, designing complex test scenarios, and ensuring that subsystem testing meets rigorous standards before proceeding to full system integration. You will marshal our aircraft software through full system verification & validation. Your work will directly impact the reliability and performance of our aircraft, preparing them for operational excellence in the field.
What You'll Do:
- Generate detailed mission test scenarios that mimic real-world conditions to validate the performance of autonomy and flight control software.
- Participate in design reviews for new features and design detailed test plans based on their requirements
- Conduct and manage system verification and validation events, culminating in verified flight readiness.
- Write test analyzers in Python to report and benchmark performance and qualification metrics of the system
- Produce test coverage and release-readiness reports by aggregating test cases, results, and quality requirements
- Recommend improvements to our simulation models and fault injection so that we can keep pushing the capabilities of our test suite before proceeding to flight
Required Qualifications:
- 10+ years of work experience in testing complex integrated software systems
- Demonstrated expertise & experience in test automation, minimally writing software to automate testing, preferably leveraging simulation for automated integration testing
- Strong experience with the software product development lifecycle, ideally for autonomy or vehicle systems
- Great understanding of system architecture, requirement derivation, and test planning across the V-model
- Experience with automating test cases in an existing test framework
- Experience producing high-quality technical documentation, including test plans, quality-assurance reports, and operational procedures
- 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
- B.S., M.S, or PhD degree in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science or a related field
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with autonomous or robotic systems
- Experience with simulation software and hardware emulation
- Background in a fast-paced, R&D or startup environment
- Proficiency in build test automation
- Proficiency in Python or C++
#LI-SM1
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.
Skills Required
- 10+ years of work experience in testing complex integrated software systems
- Demonstrated expertise and experience in test automation, writing software to automate testing (preferably leveraging simulation for automated integration testing)
- Strong experience with the software product development lifecycle, ideally for autonomy or vehicle systems
- Understanding of system architecture, requirement derivation, and test planning across the V-model
- Experience automating test cases in an existing test framework
- Experience producing high-quality technical documentation, including test plans, QA reports, and operational procedures
- Proven track record of successfully shipping products
- B.S., M.S., or PhD in Systems Engineering, Software Engineering, Computer Science, or related field
- Experience with autonomous or robotic systems
- Experience with simulation software and hardware emulation
- Background in a fast-paced R&D or startup environment
- Proficiency in build test automation
- Proficiency in Python or C++
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 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.
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:
3 days a week
