Shield AI Jobs

Senior V-BAT Air Vehicle Operator, Deployed Operations Site Lead

Shield AI

Senior V-BAT Air Vehicle Operator, Deployed Operations Site Lead

Reposted 12 Days Ago

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Dallas, TX, USA

In-Office

98K-155K Annually

Senior level

Aerospace • Artificial Intelligence • Machine Learning • Robotics • Software

Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems.

The Role

Lead and execute V-BAT flight operations for DoD and foreign customers in austere land and maritime OCONUS environments. Plan missions, assess risk, brief customers, perform Functional Check Flights and system validation, maintain aircraft logbooks and configuration, coordinate maintenance, mentor junior operators, and act as on-site operational representative while supporting deployments.

Summary Generated by Built In

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, V-BAT and X-BAT aircraft, and Aechelon simulation and synthetic reality technologies. 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.

Job Description:

The Senior Air Vehicle Operator (AVO) – Deployment Operations is responsible for executing and leading V-BAT flight operations in support of DoD and foreign customers in both land-based and maritime OCONUS environments. This is an operationally focused role requiring strong aviation judgment, disciplined execution, and the ability to lead small teams in austere and high-visibility conditions.

The Senior AVO is responsible for leading mission planning activities, performing comprehensive risk assessments, delivering pre-mission briefings, executing flight operations, and conducting structured post-flight debriefs. This role includes conducting Functional Check Flights (FCFs) and system validation as required, ensuring aircraft configuration control and logbook accuracy, coordinating with maintenance to sustain fleet readiness, and supporting overall operational discipline. The Senior AVO will mentor junior operators, serve as the on-site operational representative to customers, and travel extensively in support of deployments.

This is not an entry-level flight operations role. The ideal candidate brings strong aviation fundamentals, disciplined cockpit habits, and mature operational decision-making. They must be comfortable leading deployments, briefing customers, managing risk in dynamic environments, and maintaining professionalism in high-visibility settings. The Senior AVO must balance mission execution with customer satisfaction while upholding the highest standards of safety, compliance, and operational excellence.

Required Qualifications:

Minimum of 2000 documented unmanned flight hours or 1000 manned flight hours
Demonstrated instructor experience (manned or unmanned aviation)
FAA Private Pilot License (PPL)
FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
Ability to obtain and maintain an FAA Class II Medical Certificate
Ability to obtain and hold a Secret DoD security clearance
Ability to pass background, drug screening, and customer-required medical/dental screenings
Willingness to travel up to 50–75% in support of deployments
Ability to lead and operate independently in small teams under austere conditions
Strong aviation judgment, decision-making, and risk management skills

Preferred Qualifications

FAA Instrument Rating and/or Commercial Pilot License
Experience operating as aircrew on manned aircraft
Prior military service, particularly with overseas or deployed operations
Maritime or shipboard UAS operational experience
Previous experience as a Site Lead or in a leadership role overseeing aviation operations

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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.

Skills Required

Minimum of 2000 documented unmanned flight hours or 1000 manned flight hours
Demonstrated instructor experience (manned or unmanned aviation)
FAA Private Pilot License (PPL)
FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate
Ability to obtain and maintain an FAA Class II Medical Certificate
Ability to obtain and hold a Secret DoD security clearance
Ability to pass background, drug screening, and customer-required medical/dental screenings
Willingness to travel up to 50-75% in support of deployments
Ability to lead and operate independently in small teams under austere conditions
Strong aviation judgment, decision-making, and risk management skills
FAA Instrument Rating and/or Commercial Pilot License
Experience operating as aircrew on manned aircraft
Prior military service, particularly with overseas or deployed operations
Maritime or shipboard UAS operational experience
Previous experience as a Site Lead or in a leadership role overseeing aviation operations

What the Team is Saying

Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights

Healthcare Strength — Healthcare coverage includes medical, dental, vision, and mental-health support, with company materials describing excellent coverage. Feedback suggests these offerings are comprehensive and consistently highlighted across official and third-party benefit lists.
Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity is granted to all full-time hires, with RSU structures and tools like Carta Tax intended to improve understanding and tax timing. Feedback suggests this broad-based ownership approach is a notable component of total rewards.
Parental & Family Support — Benefits include paid parental leave, fertility support, childcare benefits, family medical leave, and onsite resources such as a Mother's Room. Feedback suggests the family-oriented offerings are more expansive than basic coverage.

Learn more about Shield AI's Compensation & Benefits →

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The Company

HQ: San Diego, CA

Year Founded: 2015

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.