We’re building intelligent systems that protect service members and civilians. Our autonomy and vision technology is now being adopted across some of the most complex and high-stakes environments in modern defence.
We’ve developed a dedicated software factory for building, optimising, evaluating, and analysing autonomy and vision system solutions - and it’s gaining serious momentum. As demand grows, we’re working closely with partners and customers to solve real warfighting problems and deliver technology that genuinely changes what’s possible.
This role sits at the heart of that mission.
This is a build & release engineering role for teams shipping autonomy software to edge-deployed systems, frequently in isolated / constrained environments. You’ll own the engineering “last mile” between C++ development and dependable delivery: reproducible builds, trustworthy artefacts, promotion across environments, and deployable releases that work where they matter most.
If you love modern C++ toolchains, dependency hygiene, artefact provenance, and making CI/CD fast and deterministic—this is for you.
What you'll do:
- Own C++ build and release workflows for autonomy and vision products, from source → build → test → package → release.
- Support and evolve containerised CI/CD pipelines across multiple isolated environments (speed, determinism, promotion, repeatability).
- Build and maintain container images for edge deployment
- Manage JFrog/Artifactory repositories for multi-language and generic artefacts; improve versioning, retention, and promotion practices.
- Strengthen dependency and build reproducibility for C++, reducing “works on my machine” and pipeline flakiness.
- Validate and deploy autonomy and vision-system products, tools, and libraries—focusing on edge delivery and reliability.
- Collaborate with engineers and system admins to ensure integration and stability across real deployment environments.
- Tackle complex, meaningful problems that directly support mission outcomes.
Required qualifications:
- Strong, hands-on experience delivering modern C++ software in production (not just “supporting” it).
- Demonstrated ownership of build systems / toolchains / dependency management (e.g., Conan, CMake, Nix, Ninja, Artifactory —whatever you’ve used to ship real systems).
- Significant recent experience running CI/CD for compiled software and maintaining the surrounding engineering systems (pipelines, runners/agents, artefact stores, promotion gates).
- Significant recent experience in Docker / Podman and containerised workflows
- Strong understanding of Linux/Unix systems.
- Experience debugging and troubleshooting.
- Background in air-gapped or isolated DevOps environments (or similarly constrained delivery contexts).
- Experience supporting Python deployment/distribution (for tooling around the C++ core).
Why Shield AI:
- Help shape the future of defence and autonomy in Australia and beyond.
- Be a key voice in a mission-led business redefining what’s possible with emerging technology.
- Join a growing, values-led team headquartered in Port Melbourne, with strong global partnerships and local autonomy.
- Competitive salary, performance-based incentives, and long-term growth opportunities.
What this role is not:
- Not a “cloud-first” DevOps role focused on standing up cloud infrastructure.
- This role is primarily about C++ build & release engineering and edge delivery - making autonomy software shippable, repeatable, and dependable in real environments.
Eligibility
Our mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems, and this role supports that mission directly by working with Australian Government classified material. It requires an Australian Government security clearance at [Baseline / NV1 / NV2] level.
You don't need to hold a clearance already, we will sponsor your clearance and support you, because mission first, people always. Australian citizenship is a mandatory requirement for this role. It is a condition of clearance eligibility set by the Australian Government, eligibility details are here: https://www.agsva.gov.au/applicants/eligibility-suitability
Skills Required
- Strong hands-on experience delivering modern C++ software in production
- Experience owning build systems, toolchains, and dependency management
- Recent experience running CI/CD for compiled software and maintaining pipelines, runners, artifact stores, and promotion gates
- Recent experience with Docker or Podman and containerized workflows
- Strong understanding of Linux and Unix systems
- Experience debugging and troubleshooting
- Experience with air-gapped or isolated DevOps environments, or similarly constrained delivery contexts
- Experience supporting Python deployment and distribution
What the Team is Saying
Shield AI Compensation & Benefits Highlights
-
Healthcare Strength — Company materials highlight comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with mental-health support and an EAP. Third-party benefits summaries also portray health coverage as a strong component of the package.
-
Retirement Support — Offerings include a 401(k) with employer matching, cited on the careers page and independent benefits directories. Multiple sources indicate a match exists, though exact formulas have varied over time and warrant confirmation.
-
Equity Value & Accessibility — Company communications describe equity for all full-time hires and stock benefits as part of total rewards. Independent listings also note company equity/RSUs as a standard element.
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.
Gallery
%203.jpg)
Shield AI Teams
.jpg)
Shield AI Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
